PhD Position

Job Reference: ASG-DW-BHE-0001
Contact Email: Camilla.Hinde@wur.nl

We are looking for
We offer a PhD Position (1.0 FTE) to undertake research on sexual selection and reproductive investment in great tits (Parus major) within the newly established Behavioural Ecology chair group at the Animal Science Department of Wageningen University, the Netherlands. This position is financed by the WIAS graduate school of Wageningen University. It is linked to an EU funded project and comes with attractive equipment and consumables support. Research will be conducted in cooperation with the Animal Ecology Department of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW).

Project details
This project will investigate the potential of individual differences in mate choice and reproductive investment to maintain phenotypic variation in great tits. Individual birds are expected to differ in their mate preferences and reproductive allocation in relation to their own individual characters, which may help to maintain variation within the population. The project will involve performing captive mate choice trials with wild great tits, as well as extensive fieldwork to measure reproductive investment. There is also the opportunity to complement this behavioural and phenotypic work with genetic information.

We ask

• Candidates must have an MSc or equivalent experience in a behavioural ecology or related fields (e.g. Animal Behaviour, Animal Ecology)
• Be enthusiastic about field work
• Strong experimental and analytical skills
• Good organizational and (written and spoken) communication skills, and a proven ability to collaborate with others.
• Willingness to conduct to organize and extensive ornithological fieldwork.
• Willingness to travel internationally, to attend conferences and visit other institutes.
• A driver licence and a licence to carry out experiments with vertebrates (i.e. article9 of the WoD) is desirable.

We offer

• Employment basis: temporary for specified period. Duration of the contract: 1 + 3 years, maximum hours per week: 38. Additional conditions of employment: To begin with, a PhD-appointment for a period of 12 months. Continuation of the appointment with another 36 months will be based on performance evaluation. Gross salary per month € 2062 in the first year, rising to € 2638 per month in the fourth year, based on a full time appointment.
• Participation in the training program of the Graduate School ‘Production Ecology & Resource conservation, see www.pe-rc.nl.
• An excellent opportunity to develop an international scientific network.

We are

The organization
The successful candidate will join the stimulating and international research environment of Wageningen University. Wageningen University is an internationally leading research and education institution, ranked among the top 25 universities in Europe (THE World University Rankings, 2011-12). This project will be carried out in the new Behavioral Ecology Group within the Department of Animal Sciences, and will be supervised by Dr. Camilla Hinde.

For further information, please contact Dr. Camilla Hinde (camilla.hinde@wur.nl). The application deadline is 15 May 2013.

Links
http://www.wur.nl/uk/
http://www.zod.wur.nl/UK/

Wageningen University & Research centre
Delivering a substantial contribution to the quality of life. That's our focus – each and every day. Within our domain, healthy food and living environment, we search for answers to issues affecting society – such as sustainable food production, climate change and alternative energy. Of course, we don’t do this alone. Every day, 6,500 people work on ‘the quality of life’, turning ideas into reality, on a global scale.

Could you be one of these people? We give you the space you need.

For further information about working at Wageningen UR, take a look at http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/Jobs.htm.

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Acquisition regarding this vacancy is not appreciated.