Doctoral Position in Bioscience, University of Konstanz!! (extended deadline 22nd March) 3.5 year, fully funded & open to all!
Social Soaring Scavengers: the value of social information for the Andean condor
Supervisors: Dr .Williams & Prof. Wikelski
We seek a doctoral student to join the Move.inFormation research group in an exciting new project investigating the use of social information for optimal movement in the largest of soaring birds, the Andean condor. The candidate will use animal attached bio-loggers and remote sensing to quantify the value of social information for increased certainty in movement decisions when the dynamism of multiple resource landscapes are considered (e.g., environmental energy, food). The position provides an exciting opportunity for candidates wishing to conduct in-depth research into collective movement strategies with state-of-the-art methodologies. It has a strong interdisciplinary focus at the intersection of ecology, behaviour, engineering and physics and runs in affiliation with the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour and the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior.
Your Responsibilities:
- Establish a long-term field site for the tracking of a population of Andean Condors (Argentina) through yearly field trips (between 1 and 2 months long)
- Deployment (and possible development) of cutting-edge bio-logging technology (GPS, proximity, IMU, environmental variables)
- Map resource landscapes and the social landscape
- Model social information use in movement decisions
- Complete a PhD thesis and present work in conferences, outreach and/or publication.
- To engage in teamwork and with the Move.inFormation group.
Your Competencies:
- The ideal candidate should be enthusiastic about the use of bio-logging devices and have experience or a strong desire to work in the field with remote working conditions.
- Prior experience with programming (e.g. R, Python, MATLAB), and animal movement models (e.g. agent-based, step-selection) would be very beneficial for the analyses of complex movement data.
- Strong organisational skills for working with large data sets and code sharing
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills to work with equal collaborators in Argentina and other German Institutions
- Applicants should ideally have a Masters degree in any scientific discipline including biology, physics, or mathematics.
- The working language of the group is English, and German language skills are not a requirement, although the candidate will be exposed to German and Spanish in the office and field respectively.
Supervision and Research Community: The candidate will join the Move.inFormation research group led by Dr. Hannah Williams within the University of Konstanz and benefit from the joint supervision of Prof. Martin Wikelski director of the Migration Department at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, and Prof. Sergio Lambertucci based in Bariloche, Argentina and lead of the collaborating team GRINBIC, INIBIOMA, CONICET. The candidate will have the opportunity to join the International Max Planck Research School for Quantitative Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution (IMPRS-QBEE), a joint doctoral program between the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the University of Konstanz, which together form a thriving research community representing a global hotspot for collective behavior and movement research.
Application Process: Questions can be directed to Dr. Hannah Williams via e-mail: hannah.williams@uni-konstanz.de. We look forward to receiving your application until 22.03.2024 via our Online application portal. Please attach your research statement and CV, along with two references to the online application.
Student HiWi position within the new Move.inFormation research group within he Biology Dept. and CASCB University Konstanz available from February 2024 for a minimum 6 months with possible extensions. Tasks include:
1. work with the Move.inFormation team and bio-logger suppliers to build a field kit of bio-logging devices for Andean Condors
2. run tests on devices for functionality under different natural scenarios and calibration of device sensors
3. build a data organisation protocol for the multiple bio-logging data types collected in the field
Available to undergraduate and masters students.
Please contact hannah.williams@uni-konstanz.de
Technical Assistant in Bio-logging development (24 months) starting 2024. The workplace will primarily be at Konstanz University, with some work with collaborating groups at the nearby Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour and Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior with whom the research group is affiliated. The position also supports field work in Argentina for the deployment of bio-logging devices on Andean Condors.
Your Tasks:
1. leading hardware assembly and software programming of bespoke bio-logging units for the two systems worked on by the group 1) paragliding pilots, 2) Andean Condors (that differ in data requirements and deployment methods/environments)
2. running tests on devices for functionality under different natural scenarios, data download pathways (WiFi, GSM, bluetooth) and calibration of device sensors
4. Liaising with the tag development team at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour to develop functionality of the units to meet the data collection requirements of the Move.inFormation group.
Profile requirements:
- State accreditation as a technical assistant or appropriate qualifications based on your professional experience or a university degree in engineering, computer science or a related field
- Interest in bio-logging sensor technology
- Skills in various programming languages including C++ (specifically IoT firmware ESP and R would be beneficial)
Please reach out if interested!
Enquires for research projects and proposals for outside funding are also very welcome! Please get in touch!