25.05.2013 - 04:58
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Please also look at our job offers in German.

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]

Field Position for the Pan African Programme

Job description:

The Department of Primatology at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, is seeking highly motivated field assistants to manage a team for the collection, entry, and processing of scientific data as part of the Pan African Great Ape Population Surveillance programme ‘The Cultured Chimpanzee’. The project aims to compile a large data set to answer questions about the evolution of tool use, hunting, life history and social organisation in wild chimpanzees with a continent wide approach.

The successful candidates will work at temporary or long-term research sites where they will collect detailed data on chimpanzee demographic and social structure, tool use, behaviour and ecology, as well as organic samples for genetic, pathogen, diet and stable isotope analyses. The candidate will be responsible for the installation of remote video cameras and subsequent regular revisits for maintenance and data download. Additionally, data on food availability, prey species, other sympatric wildlife, human impact, and information on additional chimpanzee food sources such as ants, termites, nuts and honey will be collected. The candidates will also collect and store faecal, urine, bone and hair samples, as well as environmental samples for isotope analysis.

The candidate will be further responsible for data entry, sample storage, preliminary analyses and monthly reporting of progress and results. Finally, the candidate will be responsible for coordination of the project activities for the site, supervision of the team members, budgeting and managing the field site.

The field sites are located in Central African Republic, Cameroon, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Uganda, Senegal and Tanzania. Positions will begin in August with a 2-week training workshop in Leipzig, Germany, followed by approximately 12 continuous months at the respective field site and finally a 1-month stay in Leipzig to complete data entry, data backup and sample storage.

For more information see “Apes in Africa: The cultured chimpanzees” (Nature 476: 266-269, http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110817/full/476266a.html) and visit
http://panafrican.eva.mpg.de.

Qualifications:

The successful candidate should hold an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in biology or a related field. As field work will be extremely demanding, the successful candidate must be physically and mentally fit, able to spend long periods of time away from developed areas and be comfortable with minimal living conditions (no plumbing, electricity, or housing) in extremely remote locations. The candidate must be self-sufficient and able to work independently, capable of learning fast and making decisions on his/her own. He/she also needs to be able to work in a team and communicate well with other team members and the project managers at the institute. Field experience (GPS usage, navigation and camping skills, etc.) is mandatory. All candidates need to be proficient with computers, graphics and spreadsheets, and proficiency in written and oral English is necessary. For candidates applying for the French-speaking countries (Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Central African Republic, Cameroon and Republic of Congo), additional proficiency in spoken and written French is essential.

Salary/Funding:

200€/month, of which 100€ will be paid each month. The remaining amount will be paid following the successful completion of the field data collection.

Support provided:
  • All travel costs (from home country to Leipzig, Leipzig to field site, return from field site to Leipzig and from Leipzig to home country) will be provided. Half of the cost will be reimbursed on the candidate’s arrival at the field site, and the rest on the successful completion of the project.
  • Accommodation in Leipzig for the duration of the workshop.
  • Accommodation at the field site (housing in established locations or in most cases, tents).
  • Field survey equipment will be provided.

The candidates are required to arrange and cover the following:

  • Health insurance that covers emergency repatriation and liability
  • All vaccinations required for the country of travel prior to departure, and any medications needed, including malaria prophylaxis.
Application deadline:

Applications must be received by Friday, June 7th, 2013 in order to be considered. If you receive no reply within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you were not successful on this occasion. If short-listed, you will be required to provide 2 letters of reference (these can also be submitted with the initial application email if desired). Telephone interviews will be held late June/early July. In order to apply, you MUST be available for the starting date of August 5th , 2013 for the workshop in Leipzig, Germany.

To apply

Please send a Curriculum Vita and cover letter to Mimi Arandjelovic (arandjel@[>>> Please remove the brackets! <<<]eva.mpg.de). Please reference “Field Positions - The Cultured Chimpanzee” in the subject line.

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.