Position Description: I am looking for a field assistant to assist with
data collection for my Ph.D. project on female mate choice and mating
strategies in bonobos (Pan paniscus) at LuiKotale - a long-term field site
near Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This study
is part of an ongoing project and all collected data will be handed over
at the end of the appointment; therefore, this position is not suitable
for candidates looking to pursue individual projects. The research
assistant will be trained on site, and will learn to identify individual
bonobos in a habituated community of bonobos. The assistant will work
alongside an existing team of personnel, recording detailed behavioural
observations and collecting faecal and urine samples. Fieldwork includes
long-distance walking through very difficult terrain, and the assistant
should be prepared to work long days, sometimes from dawn to dusk,
in all weather conditions.
Information about the field site and research activities at LuiKotale is
available at http://www.eva.mpg.de/primat/files/bonobo.htm . This position
will provide the successful applicant with an excellent opportunity to
gain extended fieldwork experience with detailed behavioural research.
Qualifications/Experience: Essential requirements are: (1) field
experience; (2) above average physical fitness; (3) above average
resistance to social/psychological stress; and (4) the ability to live
in a very remote and basic camp, and work with an international team of
students, volunteers and local staff.
Candidates should have: (1) practical and technical skills required for
orientation and navigation in the forest (e.g. experience with GPS units
and compass reading); (2) strong social skills and patience; (3) high
degree of self-motivation and responsibility; (4) respect for local
customs. Candidates with field research experience in Africa,
behavioural research on primates, and basic knowledge of French will be
preferred.
Salary/funding: Salary/funding: 300 Euros/month
Support provided for field assistant (travel, meals, lodging):
- Food (a variety of local foods with some western food items)
- Lodging (in tents under thatched roofs) at the field site - Airfare
and airport tax for one domestic return flight from Kinshasa to the
field site
- Contribution of up to 800 Euros for an international return flight
(reimbursement ONLY AFTER SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION of a 9-MONTH term of
appointment)
- Expenses for visa (reimbursement ONLY AFTER SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION of a
9-MONTH term of appointment) * Please note that expenses during the
stay in Kinshasa on the way in/out of D.R. Congo cannot be covered by
the project.
Term of Appointment: 9 months starting in March 2011
Application Deadline: November 15, 2010
Comments: To apply, please send: (1) a letter of interest/motivation;
(2) your CV or resume detailing relevant experience; and (3) names and
e-mail addresses of two people who would be willing to provide references
to heidi_douglas@eva.mpg.de by the November 15th deadline.
Contact Information:
Pamela Heidi Douglas
Department of Primatology Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary
Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig
Germany
Telephone Number: ++49 (0) 341 3550 264
E-mail Address: heidi_douglas@eva.mpg.de
Heidi Douglas
