20.06.2013 - 00:24
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Please also look at our job offers in German.

Camp & Research Administrator

We are searching for a Camp & Research Administrator (CRA) for an ongoing long-term project on bonobo socio-ecology at LuiKotale, Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo.

The CRA has the following duties:  
  1. Camp management including administration and maintenance of logistics, infrastructure and communication.
  2. Supervision of field research including coordination of working schedules of research teams, management of long-term data, and organization of collecting, storing and transporting biological samples. The CRA is in charge of financial accounting, organizing supplies, maintenance of camp infrastructure, and communication with the research team and local assistants. The CRA represents the project to regional administrators, wildlife authorities, and village leaders. Information about the field site and research activities at LuiKotale is available at http://www.eva.mpg.de/primat/research-groups/bonobos/main-page.html?Fsize=0%2C
Qualifications:

Candidates must have field experience and an academic background in one or several of the following areas: biology, zoology, botany, ecology, anthropology. Given the importance of communication for the work of the CRA, language skills in French (oral and in writing) and English are essential. Other critical requirements are: 

  1. a strong sense of responsibility and a well developed capacity for team work
  2. above average physical fitness
  3. resistance to social/psychological stress, and
  4. practical and technical skills to maintain the technical infrastructure (e.g. solar power generator, sat-phone, sw-radio) and to organize/supervise construction work (e.g. make-shift buildings in camp). 

Candidates will need to have tolerance, social skills and a strong motivation to take on responsibility. They should be able to achieve tasks by improvisation, using the limited sources that are available and must have the capacity to live and work with an international! team of students, volunteers and local staff. Candidates with medical training will be preferred.

Salary/funding:

The monthly payment will be 700 Euro based on a contract for work and services.

Support provided for internship/volunteer positions (travel, meals, lodging): Support provided for internship/volunteer positions (travel, meals, lodging):

  • food (mostly local food and some western food items)
  • lodging (in tents) at the field site
  • one domestic flight from Kinshasa to the field and back
  • contribution of up to 800 Euro to an international return flight (reimbursement only after successful completion of a 10 months term of appointment)
  • expenses for visa up to 100 Euro (reimbursement only after successful completion of a 10 months term of appointment)
  • note that expenses during the stay in Kinshasa on the way in and out of DRC, as well as the costs for supplementary health insurance and other insurances are not covered by the project.

Term of Appointment:

10 months starting as soon as possible

Comments:

Applicants should send a letter of interest that provides information that is useful for evaluating the qualifications outlined above, a CV, and two letters of recommendation.

Contact Information: 

PhD Position and Camp Manager

Topic: Influence of ranging patterns in five neighbouring communities of wild chimpanzees in the Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire

We are offering a PhD fellowship working on how the ranging pattern of chimpanzees is influenced by neighboring groups and human activity in the forest. In addition the PhD candidate will be responsible for the management of the Taï Chimpanzee Project (50% of working time). The position will start in October 2013 and requires the successful candidate to stay in Taï for 3 years. 

Our general interest is to understand if neighboring chimpanzee communities influence each other’s ranging pattern and what effect intergroup encounter have on the ranging of chimpanzees. We like to know how intergroup competition, especially with large food trees in the overlapping zones, impacts on the use of these areas for both communities and which are the affecting factors of inter-community dominance. We also want to know if human activity (illegal and legal) changes the ranging pattern of our three habituated and 2 unhabituated chimpanzee communities.

Qualification and requirements:

MSc (or comparable degree) in Biology, Evolutionary Anthropology or Conservation Biology. Good knowledge in evolutionary biology, animal behavior and ecology are crucial for a successful application. Previous experience to work with GPS data and large data sets (data bank) are of advantage. The PhD candidate will need to work independently in a remote and physically demanding tropical forest habitat. Good social skills are important to work and live amongst a group of international colleagues with different cultural backgrounds.

The successful candidate is fluent in French and English and has some management experience. Previous experience with field work (as researcher and/or in a management position) will be beneficial to the application.

Salary / funding:

Supported by a MPI EVA PhD stipend. In addition the successful candidate will write a research proposal to apply for grant money.

Start and term of appointment

Starting October 2013, the successful applicant will stay for 3 consecutive years in Tai to oversee data collection and manage the Taï Chimpanzee Project. Tenure of the position is four years (+ one year extension).

Comments

Applications include a cover letter stating research experience, field experience and experience of managing field sites, a detailed curriculum vitae, and the names and e-mail addresses of three referees. The application documents should be sent electronically to taichimpproject@[>>> Please remove the brackets! <<<]eva.mpg.de. The evaluation of applications will start on June 3, 2013, and application will be accepted until the position is filled.

Contact information

Dr. Roman Wittig
MPI EVA
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig
Germany

Phone: +49 341 3550 204 
Website: http://www.eva.mpg.de/primat/staff/roman_wittig/

Downloads

PhD Position and Camp Manager [pdf]

PhD position for veterinarian

Health monitoring in wild chimpanzees of the Taï National Park, Ivory Coast

We are looking for a veterinarian for a PhD (or similar) project on health monitoring in wild chimpanzees of the Taï National Park, Ivory Coast. The position will start July / August 2013 and running for 3 years. 

The project will be carried out in the context of the long-term project on the Taï chimpanzees under the supervision of Dr. Roman Wittig, Max-Planck-Institute for evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany. The health component of the project is executed in collaboration with Dr. Fabian Leendertz of the Robert Koch-Institute in Berlin.

Work schedule:
  1. Preparations (approx.1-2 month):
    a) Writing of an research proposal
    b) Laboratory training at Robert Koch Institute
  2. 2 years of field work in the Taï National Park, Ivory Coast
    (Interrupted by some first analyses between the 2 years)
  3. Analyses at the Robert Koch-Institute and the Max-Planck-Institute
  4. Publications etc.
Qualifications and requirements:

The field work requires good physical condition, the ability to work independently and involves some management work. Good oral French and English language skills are required. 

The candidate will be responsible for sample collection and preservation as well as disease outbreak response including necropsies. A specific project including sample collection and analyses on site will be the basis for a PhD (or similar) project.

Salary / funding:

Supported by a MPI EVA PhD stipend. In addition the successful applicant will write a proposal to apply for additional funding.

Start and term of appointment:

Starting July / August 2013 (for 3 years).

Comments:

Applications including a cover letter stating research experience and interests, detailed curriculum vitae, and the names and e-mail addresses of two referees should be send electronically to Fabian Leendertz and Roman Wittig. The evaluation of applications will start on May 31 and applications will be accepted until position is filled.

Contact information

Dr. Fabian Leendertz, Dipl. ECZM (Wildlife Population Health)
Veterinarian Taϊ Chimpanzee Project, Côte d'Ivoire
Robert Koch-Institut Berlin
Project Group 23 “Emerging Zoonoses”
Nordufer 20
13353 Berlin
Germany

Phone: +49 3018 754 2592
Email: LeendertzF@[>>> Please remove the brackets! <<<]rki.de

Dr. Roman Wittig
Director Taϊ Chimpanzee Project, Côte d'Ivoire
MPI EVA, Primatology
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig
Germany

Phone: +49 341 3550 204
Email: taichimpproject@[>>> Please remove the brackets! <<<]eva.mpg.de
Website: http://www.eva.mpg.de/primat/staff/roman_wittig/

Downloads

PhD position for veterinarian [pdf]

Research positions and graduate student positions (occasionally available)

Inquiries including a description of research interests and previous experience are welcome.

If you are interested in opportunities for field research, please contact:

If you are interested in research opportunities in the genetics laboratory, please contact:

If you are interested in one of the specific projects mentioned elsewhere on the primatology website, you may contact the relevant researcher directly.