We seek a post-doctoral candidate with an outstanding research record in movement ecology to work on an interdisciplinary project aimed at understanding the drivers and consequences of individual and collective movements of free-ranging mountain cows in an alpine ecosystem. The candidate should be well-versed in working with (GPS) tracking data, GIS tools (e.g. satellite images and analysis), and movement ecology modelling. A solid background in behavioural ecology, population dynamics, social networks, and/or complex systems would be valued.
The candidate would be involved in the project VANESSA. In short, we are studying a herd of free-ranging cows in the Pyrenees. For the past years, we have collected GPS data of 80 individuals about which we also know their age, reproductive status, and some measure of personality. We will continue to monitor these individuals in the years to come, and combine this data with detailed GIS data and temporal changes in weather. We are particularly interested in understanding: (1) the movements of cows during the transhumance (the ~200km ‘migration’ from the lowlands in winter to the Pyrenees in spring) and what factors influence leadership and social conformity, (2) how individuals move and track resources and how this is shaped by individual (e.g. personality, age) and social processes, (3) to study the processes of re-location and exploration, and (4) to explore the role of sudden impacts (e.g. thunderstorms, predator events).
We offer a 1-year post-doc contract (potentially extended to an extra year in project SLEEP on social prospecting and metapopulation dynamics). The candidate will work with the PI of the project, Daniel Oro, and other senior scientists at the TheELab (Jolle Jolles and Frederic Bartomeus). The lab belongs to the EcoEvoChange research group focused on the eco-evolutionary responses of individuals to global change.
The gross annual salary will be 39.134€ including all benefits of the Spanish Public Health and Social Security systems. There is no teaching associated with the contract.
Review of applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and continue until filled, and the contract would start as soon as possible (likely around early October 2023 and not later than December 2023).
For more information, please contact Prof. Daniel Oro (d.oro@csic.es). Applicants are requested to send their expression of interest electronically in a single PDF file. Applications should include (1) a cover letter, (2) a CV (maximum 2 pages), (3) contact details of up to three references.
