Graduate Student (MSc/PhD) in Animal and Human Behavioural Ecology (Canada)

*Graduate Student (MSc/PhD) in Animal and Human Behavioural Ecology in the
Lingle Lab in the Department of Biology at the University of Winnipeg*

In our lab (www.linglelab.org), we use interactions between predator and
prey to gain insight into population ecology, social behaviour and,
increasingly, mechanisms underlying social vocal communication and species
interactions. For the latter topic, we conduct fieldwork with mammals -
especially deer - and lab studies with humans to investigate acoustic and
(in the upcoming future) neurochemical mechanisms involved in infant cries
and caregiver responses across species and the relationship of infant cries
to vocal communication taking place in different contexts. Field studies
probe adaptive explanations as well as mechanisms to understand the
behaviour and communication of animals in their natural habitats.
Opportunities for research on other topics related to predator-prey
interactions and aspects of species relationships still exist.

Ideally I would find one graduate student to do a field study (most
projects are planned with deer and coyotes at our main field site on the
grasslands of southern Alberta; one planned for work with subspecies of
deer on the west coast) and another student to work with humans. I am
receptive to having a student with a background in animal behaviour work
with humans or vice versa. A project will be selected or planned that is
appropriate to the interests and background of the strongest candidates.
There are research opportunities for Postdoctoral Fellows, but these will
depend on funding you bring or that I may obtain. If interested, please
contact me to discuss this.

Potential MSc students should have an Honours degree or equivalent (4-year
degree plus research experience) in a related field, a strong academic
record, and evidence of being able to work independently and being highly
motivated and enthusiastic to pursue research in this field. PhD candidates
must have a MSc or be willing to pursue the MSc degree first. Fully-funded
MSc positions are potentially available to international students and
Canadians through Graduate Teaching Assistantships and other scholarships.
PhD students would be enrolled at a different university where I supervise
them as an Adjunct. Candidates having external funding such as NSERC PGS
are preferred.

Why Winnipeg? Despite its reputation for a wintry clime, Winnipeg is
considered by many residents to be "Canada's best-kept secret". This
mid-sized city is livable and culturally diverse in terms of its people and
amenities (outstanding music - both contemporary and classical, other arts,
food and myriad winter and summer festivals). Opportunities for enjoying
the natural landscape abound with lakes and forests nearby, prairie
grasslands to the west and tundra to the north. The University of Winnipeg
is a small, rapidly growing university in the heart of downtown and the
Department of Biology is situated in the brand new science facility,
Richardson College for the Environment.

Interested persons are encouraged to contact Susan Lingle
(lingle.uw@gmail.com) to express interest or for more information. Please
include a brief description of your research interests and relevant
background, reasons for pursuing graduate study, an unofficial transcript
and a CV. I will review material as it arrives and may contact you for an
interview. Please contact me before January 2014 and note that official
applications for Graduate Studies in Bioscience at U Winnipeg are due
1 February 2014 for entrance in September 2014.