ASSAB 2013 Conference: July 1-4

Venue: University of Auckland,  New Zealand

(Click here for more details)

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announcements
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Faculty Positions

Professorship in arthropod neuroethology, University of Würzburg

The position is integrated into the unit of Behavioral Physiology & Sociobiology (Zoology II), Theodor-Boveri-Institute (Biocenter), University of Würzburg. The successful candidate is expected to have an internationally competitive research record in neuroethology, behavioural physiology, behavioural endocrinology, and/or evolution of behaviour in insects – preferentially with a focus on the molecular mechanisms and/or the evolution of behaviour in bees. Teaching responsibilities include basic as well as advanced seminars and courses (bachelor and master biology) in the following fields: animal physiology, behavioural sciences, evolutionary biology. The biocenter of the University of Würzburg offers a unique research environment with excellent opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations. It is expected that the future candidate is willing to actively contribute to the newly founded collaborative research center of the German Research Foundation (SFB 1047) “Insect Timing: Mechanisms, Plasticity and Interactions”, and to the establishment of new collaborative research programs.

Requirements include an adequate university degree, good teaching skills, a doctoral degree, and habilitation or equivalent academic qualifications, which may also be earned from outside the university or from a junior professorship. The University of Würzburg expects a strong commitment in teaching and intensive mentorship for students and doctoral candidates.

Candidates should be under the age of 52 at the time of appointment (exceptions are possible in special cases according to Art. 10 Abs. 3 Satz 2 BayHSchPG).

The University of Würzburg aims to increase the proportion of female faculty and explicitly encourages female candidates to apply.

Handicapped applicants who meet the expected academic qualifications will be given priority.

Please submit applications electronically and as a hardcopy by 30 May 2013 by kindly following the directions detailed on our website (http://www.dekanat.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de).

Dekan der Fakultät für Biologie
Biozentrum, Am Hubland
97074 Würzburg, Germany.

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Postdoctoral position in birdsong physiology and acoustics, Indiana University

A postdoctoral fellowship is available at Indiana University for a qualified applicant interested in the production of complex, learned vocalizations, using birdsong as a model system. We are studying the mechanisms of avian song production, including physiological and behavioral experiments on the role of auditory and somatosensory feedback in the motor control of the syrinx (vocal organ) and suprasyringeal vocal tract (http://www.indiana.edu/~songbird/). Excellent research facilities are available including cineradiography and expertise in recording respiratory, syringeal and upper vocal tract dynamics from freely behaving, spontaneously singing birds. Indiana University has excellent interdisciplinary programs for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior and for Neuroscience, as well as outstanding faculty in speech, hearing and linguistics. The postdoctoral appointment will remain open until June 1 or until a well-qualified candidate is found. If you are interested, please send your Curriculum Vitae, including a brief statement of your research interests, to Rod Suthers at suthers@indiana.edu, voice: 812-855-8353; fax: 812-855-4436. Please also include the names, phone numbers and email addresses of three people who are willing to provide letters of recommendation if requested to do so. Indiana University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

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Graduate Positions

PhD opportunity – The function of female ornamentation in lovely fairy-wrens. 

A PhD project is available to investigate the function of elaborate female song and plumage in a cooperatively breeding bird, the lovely fairy-wren (Malurus amabilis). The position will be based in the Evolution and Behaviour Group in the Department of Zoology at the University of Melbourne under the supervision of Assoc Prof Raoul Mulder, and co-supervised by Dr Michelle Hall.

Studies on elaborate male traits have formed the foundation of the field of sexual selection. However, ornamentation in females is only recently attracting attention, and there is controversy over whether sexual selection or alternative mechanisms drive the evolution of female ornamentation. Lovely fairy-wrens have the most colourful female plumage among the Australian fairy-wrens, but have never been studied before. The student will be able to work independently to establish a new project investigating the function of elaborate female song and plumage in lovely fairy-wrens, and test competing hypotheses for the evolution of female ornamentation in birds.

Interested students should email their CV, contact details of two academic referees, academic transcript, and a letter describing their research interests to Raoul Mulder (r.mulderATunimelb.edu.au) and Michelle Hall (hall.mATunimelb.edu.au).

The candidate will need to obtain an Australian Postgraduate Award or International Research and Fee Remission Scholarships (for details and scholarship application forms see http://services.unimelb.edu.au/scholarships/research). The main application deadlines for these scholarships are 31 August (International) and 31 October (Domestic).

Dr Michelle L Hall

Research Fellow, Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia

Email: hall.m@unimelb.edu.au; phone: + 61 3 83446232; www: Google Scholar Profile

 

PhD opportunity - evolution of polymorphism in the white-throated sparrow

We are looking for two motivated students interested in behavioral, evolutionary, and ecological genomics to join our laboratory at Indiana State University (ISU).  These graduate positions are part of an exciting new interdisciplinary initiative at ISU, The Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA), which is focused on the application of genomic technology to the betterment of society.  TCGA is developing a state-of-the-art next generation sequencing facility, which will be used to provide hands-on experiences for students as well as strong infrastructure for modern genomic studies.

Graduate research will be expected to combine traditional behavioral ecology studies with next-generation sequencing technology to examine the evolution of polymorphism in the white-throated sparrow (www.whitethroatedsparrow.org).  Students will conduct extensive laboratory work as well as participate in field based data collection during the breeding season in the Adirondack Mountains of NY.  This species exhibits a clear link between phenotype and genotype, making it an ideal system in which to pinpoint the determinants of complex sexual and parental behavior.  We have amassed 25 years of detailed data on this species making it possible to identify the genetic, epigenetic, and environmental bases of behavior.  Morphs of the white-throated sparrow provide a unique opportunity to study intraspecific genomic differences, which have resulted from two separate, yet linked evolutionary trajectories – such results can transform our understanding of the evolution of genomes.

To apply, please send a letter of intent, curriculum vitae, and the names and email addresses of 3 references.  Applications will be accepted until June 15, 2013.

For more information about the positions, please feel free to contact Dr. Elaina M. Tuttle (Elaina…@indstate.edu) or Dr. Rusty A. Gonser (Rusty….@indstate.edu), at The Center for Genomic Advocacy (TCGA), Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809.

For more information about the lab, the department, and the university, see:

www.whitethroatedsparrow.org

http://www.indstate.edu/biology/

http://www.indstate.edu/home.php

http://www.indstate.edu/sogs/

 

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Volunteer field assistants

We are looking for field assistants to help monitor a colour-banded population of superb fairy-wrens near Melbourne, Australia for a study on animal personalities. Time periods: August – September 2013 (2 months mist-netting and testing personalities) or October 2013 – January 2014 (4 months nest-searching and behavioural observations). Duties include regular censusing of colour-banded birds, searching for and monitoring nests, mist-netting, behavioural observations, video analysis, and data proofing. Working days are long, with early starts six days a week. Enthusiasm, self-motivation, and a strong work ethic are a must. The study is based at Serendip Sanctuary, a small reserve on the outskirts of Melbourne. Qualifications: experience monitoring colour-banded birds, nest-searching, and mist-netting. Must also be early riser, physically fit, able to work in extreme weather conditions, and enjoy basic shared living conditions. Onsite accommodation in a house with shared dorm-style room is provided, but assistants cover travel to the site and their own food costs. The project will reimburse up to AUD$500/mo towards receipted food and travel expenses. For more information contact: Michelle Hall (hall.m@unimelb.edu.au) and Raoul Mulder (r.mulder@unimelb.edu.au). To apply, please email a letter outlining previous relevant field research experience, and a resume including names and contact information for 3 referees.

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Upcoming Conferences

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