mercredi 21 octobre 2015

Ph.D. position

University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada: Object Play Culture and Complex Foraging in Balinese Long-Tailed Macaques
Hiring Organization: University of Lethbridge
Date Posted: 2015-10-13
Position Description:
We are currently seeking an independent, conscientious and highly motivated student to embark on a four-year Ph.D. program in the Department of Psychology at the University of Lethbridge (starting in September 2016), under the supervision of Dr. Jean-Baptiste Leca.
The Ph.D. research project will consist of investigating the developmental and evolutionary links between the non-instrumental manipulation of objects (e.g., object play) and complex extractive foraging techniques (e.g., processing difficult foods and tool use) in multiple free- ranging groups of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) living on the island of Bali, Indonesia. This project also aims to quantify the social transmission of group-specific object- oriented behavioral patterns (e.g., object manipulation, stone handling, eye covering play, coconut bashing, and tool use) in this primate species, by using network-based diffusion analysis.
Further details about the research project can be found at: http://www.jbleca.webs.com/
Before officially starting the Ph.D. program, the successful applicant will first conduct a 5-month field study in Bali (scheduled from mid-March to mid-August 2016), focusing on three pairs of large neighboring groups of monkeys living at Uluwatu (south Bali), Ubud (central Bali), and Pulaki (west Bali). These macaques are commensal (i.e., they live in human-dominated habitats, including Balinese temples) and some of the field sites are visited daily by many tourists.
The Ph.D. student will collect social and behavioral data on a large number of immature and adult monkeys (more than 50 individuals/group). Data collection will include a combination of instantaneous group scan sampling (using a pre-established ethogram), as well as pen-and- paper, psion-recorded, and video-recorded continuous focal-animal sampling. The field workload is significant: about 10 hours/day (from 8 am to 6 pm) and 6 days a week. The Ph.D. student will also be responsible for managing the data collected on a daily basis.
In the field, the Ph.D. student will be accommodated in a guest house located not too far from each field site (about 20-25 minutes by motorbike), with basic equipment and utilities, including electricity, running water (but probably not hot water), and wireless internet.