Position
Description:
The LuiKotale Bonobo Project offers 2 positions for research assistants to take
over an ongoing habituation project. The field site is located in a remote
forest outside Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC). Duties include: (i) locating and following bonobos; (ii) collecting information
to expand existing files for identification of individual bonobos, and (iii) collecting
biological samples. The habituation team is accommodated at Ekongo camp and
covers a forest range that is adjacent to the one used by habituated groups. Before
taking over habituation work, assistants are trained by research staff at
LuiKotale, following habituated bonobos in order to learn to identify acoustic
cues, feeding remains, and nest sites, as well as by the current habituation
team. Ekongo camp has no camp manager. The camp and research manager from
LuiKotale visits Ekongo camp regularly and will take care of some duties but
habituation assistants are expected to conduct administration work as
well.
The field conditions are physically and mentally challenging. The forest is often dense and swampy and assistants are sometimes exposed to severe weather and tropical diseases. The research camp is remote. It has no running water, electricity, phone coverage, or internet access and communication is limited to short emails. Satellite phones are available in the event of an emergency. Assistants live in tents and mostly eat simple, local foods (e.g., beans, manioc and rice). Habituation work can be frustrating because searching time still exceeds observation hours and after encountering a group, bonobos still tend to hide from human observers. Please carefully consider whether you will able to cope with these conditions for an extended period of time, before applying for this position.
Qualifications/Experience:
Ideal candidates will express an interest in primate behavior and forest ecology,
and demonstrate strong organizational skills and proficiency with the French
language. Due to the challenging physical and social environment at LuiKotale, all
candidates must be (a) physically fit; (b) resistant to psychological stress;
(c) self-motivated and able to work with minimal supervision while out in the
field; and (d) tolerant of different social customs and beliefs. Social
skills and the willingness to work as part of a team are essential. Previous
experience using Microsoft Excel and navigating with a compass and GPS unit are
assets, but not required. Please note that the LKBP adheres strictly to gender
equality and will not tolerate any form of sexual harassment.
Salary/Funding:
300 Euro/month during training (1st month) and 500 Euro/month thereafter
Support provided for internship/volunteer
positions (travel, meals, lodging):
- food (mix of mainly local food and some western food items)
- lodging (in tents) at the field site
- airfare for one domestic flight from Kinshasa to the field site and back*
- expenses for visa*
- contribution to an international return flight of up to 800 Euro*
*reimbursement ONLY AFTER SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION
OF THE APPOINTMENT
Please note that people joining the research team in the field are required to
have a health insurance that covers expenses for evacuation by charter plane in
a case of emergency. Expenses for the health insurance are not covered by the
project.
Term of Appointment: start is in fall 2025 and lasts for 9-12 months
Comments:
Applications include an updated CV, a letter of motivation that shows how the
candidate meets the qualifications outlined above, and references of three
people (or their contact information). Applications should be send to Dr.
Gottfried Hohmann (hohmann@eva.mpg.de) and to Barbara Fruth (bfruth.ab.mpg.de
Information about the research and conservation activities at LuiKotale is
available at
https://www.ab.mpg.de/364649/fruth
https://www.bonobo-alive.org/index.html
Contact Information:
Dr. Gottfried Hohmann
Deutscher Platz 6
Leipzig 04103
Germany
Professor Barbara Fruth
Bücklestraße 5 a
D - 78467 Konstanz