Postdoc in Conservation Biology and Community Ecology of Tibetan Carnivores (China)

The International NGO, Panthera, will be funding a post-doctoral position at Peking University in the lab of Dr. Lu Zhi. The Post-Doctoral Fellow will become an integral member of the research team made up of Panthera, Shan Shui and Peking University staff and students who are studying the diverse carnivore community of the Tibetan Plateau. Research themes are particularly focused on the community ecology and interspecies relationships of carnivores with overlapping distributions. These include Tibetan Fox, Red Fox, Pallas's Cat, Wolves, Tibetan Brown Bear and Snow Leopard. The Fellow will design their own research project within this system as well as collaborate with graduate students and NGO staff. Projects will emphasize the conservation implications of endangered and threatened species in human impacted landscapes, particularly those that relate to human-carnivore conflict and climate change. The primary investigators, Dr. Liu Yanlin and Dr. Byron Weckworth, will oversee project development and help direct field-based activities. Fellows will be acknowledged as Panthera affiliates, but will also be working closely, and on a day to day basis, with Chinese NGO, Shan Shui. This is a great opportunity to do cutting edge science and to work with leading conservation organizations.

Field work opportunities may include capture and collaring of target species, tracking animal movements, cluster searches, setting and maintaining camera traps, sign surveys, scat collection and household surveys of herders.
Start date is July 1st, 2014. Fellow must be selected in time to submit post-doctoral application by May 31st.

Minimum Qualifications:

PhD in a relevant discipline (e.g. ecology, animal behavior, etc.)

Excellent spoken and written English language skills

Experience in writing scientific papers and reports

Desire to work in remote field conditions without running water or electricity

Ability to hike in rugged mountain environments at elevations above 4000m

Competency in GIS, statistics and other analytical tools and methods to translate raw data into meaningful biological information

Additional useful, but not initially necessary skills:

Animal capture and handling experience

Experience archiving and analyzing camera trap data

Skilled in the use of pertinent field equipment (e.g., camera traps, GPS, telemetry equipment)


For additional information, please e-mail/phone Dr. Liu Yanlin plateauhigh@gmail.com/13810772529 or Dr. Byron Weckworth  byweck@gmail.com/15910740478.


If interested in applying, please send CV and maximum one page cover letter to either Dr. Liu or Dr. Weckworth, and Ms. Wang Yan wyan@shanshui.org/13701240945.