Oferta compartida por Cristina
The postdoc position is part of a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant, named FriendOrigins - https://www.friendorigins.com/. The overarching aim of FriendOrigins is to explore the evolutionary origins of social relationships. The successful applicant will join the existing FriendOrigins team (PI Lauren Brent, Postdoc Delphine De Moor, Postdoc Erin Siracusa, our lab manager and research technician).
The major aims of FriendOrigins are to answer key questions about the evolution of friendly relationships – What are the ultimate functions of friendly relationships? What environmental factors shape friendly relationships? How do individuals navigate their social worlds? How do we best quantify relationships? To do this, we use long-term behavioural data on gregarious mammals, comparative and experimental methods, and social network analysis.
The appointed Postdoc will work within our research team to generate advancements in one or more of these aims. There is scope for input from the successful candidate to steer the components of the project on which they will work, and as such the post may include field-work at our site in Puerto Rico, analysis of long-term social network data, and/or development of methods for social network analysis.
In general, we’ll be looking for someone who specializes in behavioural or cognitive ecology, especially related to social behaviour, and/or someone who is comfortable tackling the challenges associated with analysing social networks and who would be keen to develop methodological advances on that front. The ability to work independently to drive ideas and research forward will be important, as will be good communication and teamwork skills. No weight will be given to the taxa in which candidate’s past experience was obtained (that is, applicants with no previous experience working on mammals are welcome).
Why will this be a great post?
-You will get to work at or with data from one of the longest running mammalian field sites in the world. Founded in 1938, Cayo Santiago hosts large numbers of scientists from Puerto Rico and across the globe, and is thus a great place to expand your academic network.
-You will be part of a team that has created a big-team science initiative for collaborative research, MacaqueNet https://macaquenet.github.io/about/, and a new framework for the analysis of social network data, BISoN https://jordanhart.co.uk/bisonR/
-You will get to work and collaborate with graduate students and postdocs in my group (the lab has ~9 current members). We have a weekly lab meeting to help expand our academic horizons, provide peer-support and constructive feedback. We are all members of the Center for Research in Animal Behaviour (CRAB), which meets weekly and runs a seminar series, and CRAB’s Social Network Club, which meets bi-weekly (and when in person, involves cake!).
-You will get to work at the University of Exeter, home to one of the largest concentrations of animal behaviour researchers in the world.
-You will get the benefits of working within a team of researchers focused on independent but interrelated questions and so will have the opportunity to work on something bigger than the sum of its parts.
Anticipated FAQs and other things you might want to know
Start date: as early as May 1 2023 with flexibility in start date so long as it fits within the window of funding.
Funding: 18 mos
Location: University of Exeter, Center for Research in Animal Behaviour, Streatham Campus (in Exeter, UK)
Can I work remotely? No. The spontaneous communication within a team that this role requires is not possible with remote work. Moreover, Exeter cannot appoint applicants who will not reside in the UK for considerable parts of the post due to visa limitations (for international candidates).
Is there money to cover the postdoc attending conferences? Yes. Roughly 1 per year of appointment.
What about other travel? Funds for travel to the Cayo Santiago site in Puerto Rico are available if needed.
How to apply? Using the link to the job advert, access the Exeter job portal. Submit your CV, a cover letter, and names of 3 people who will write you a letter of recommendation. Human Resources does not allow me to consider applications sent directly to me via email.
Deadline to apply: March 16, 2023.
Thanks again for your interest. Please do consider applying.
Best wishes,
Lauren Brent
