Dos becas predoctorales en Ecología

Dear colleagues,

I have two PhD student positions available in disease ecology at
Oregon State University. I am looking for one student interested in
ecological theory and modeling, and one field ecologist - see details
below. Both need to be highly motivated independent workers, excellent
writers and have strong quantitative skills.
Please could you pass this on to qualified applicants.

Thanks,
Anna




Disease ecology PhD positions available at Oregon State University.
I am seeking two graduate students to work on a newly funded project
investigating interactions among different types of parasite in
African buffalo.

Project Summary: Infection of hosts by multiple parasite species is
the norm rather than the exception in most natural populations, yet
studies of parasite dynamics largely focus on single parasites
interacting with single hosts. Fundamental principles of immunology
suggest that co-infection of hosts by microparasites (bacteria,
viruses, protozoa) and macroparasites (helminths) should have
important effects on disease dynamics. For example, exposure to
macroparasites may increase host susceptibility to and progression of
important microparasitic diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis and
malaria in humans. The central goal of this study is to investigate
the consequences of microparasite-macroparasite interactions for
patterns of disease at three distinct levels of biological
organization: individuals, populations and species. To achieve this
goal, African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) co-infected with bovine
tuberculosis (BTB, Mycobacterium bovis) and gastrointestinal nematodes
will be used as a model system to investigate individual-level
patterns of infection and parasite population dynamics. Specifically,
a combination of field and captive studies and mathematical modeling
will be used to assess patterns of infection and immunity in these
free-ranging animals, understand the effects of nematode treatment on
BTB transmission, and examine the reciprocal effects of BTB on
nematodes. Scaling up from this system, a comprehensive database of
parasites and pathogens infecting wild mammals and humans will then be
used to investigate the effect of helminths on the distribution of
microparasitic diseases across populations and species. In
combination, these analyses will reveal how within-host immunological
interactions between micoparasites and macroparasites shape patterns
of disease in natural host populations and among species.

Position profiles: One position will have a strong field-based
component in South Africa, requiring excellent organizational skills,
independence, and the ability to work in a remote location with a team
of people from diverse cultural backgrounds, as well as quantitative
aptitude to handle analysis of large experimental and observational
datasets. The second position will focus on modeling the buffalo ? TB
? helminth system, providing the theoretical underpinning to the
project; however the theory student will also be expected to
participate in field data collection to ensure a firm grasp of the
study system?s biology. This position requires excellent quantitative
skills and could suit someone with an undergraduate degree in
mathematics / physics and a strong interest in biological systems, or
a biologist with demonstrable interest in ecological theory.
Grant funding is available for three years for each student; with the
remaining time covered by teaching assistantships and / or fellowship
funding obtained by the students.
Women and minority students are particularly encouraged to apply.

Contact: Dr. Anna Jolles, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State
University, 101 Magruder Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331.
jollesa@science.oregonstate.edu | (541) 737 9028.