PhD study: Behavioral ecology

A) We offer a fully funded PhD student position (4-years) in behavioural ecology “Foraging in the landscape of peril”. The student will join the international team at the Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Czech Republic, and will be supervised by the associate prof. Tomasz Podgórski. More information follows under letter A.

B) We offer a full-time postdoctoral position (3-years contract) in a field spanning movement ecology, ecology of fear, bio-logging science, behavioral ecology, and ecological statistics. The postdoc will join the international team at the Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Czech Republic and will collaborate closely with dr Miloš Ježek (Head of the Department), associate prof. Tomasz Podgórski (Lab leader), and research associate dr Michaela Másilková. More information follows under letter B.

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more info A) PhD position

Research topic:

Pathogens and predators represent the ultimate and ubiquitous threats to

fitness. One of the defense counter-strategies is behavioural avoidance of the cues of infection risk (disgust) and predation risk (fear). However, both pathogen and predator avoidance incur costs related to, among others, diminished foraging. Pathogen and predator avoidance strategies may align (e.g. when avoiding scats of predators) or conflict with each other (e.g. large groups protect against predators but increase disease transmission risk). The strength of the disgust response can also differ from the fear response due to the usually less severe and delayed costs of infection compared to predation. Thus, animals must balance avoidance costs against the benefits of other activities, such as foraging. There is abundant evidence of the foraging costs of cue-based predator avoidance but scarce evidence of the foraging costs of pathogen avoidance. Moreover, behavioural responses to cues of pathogen and predator risks have not yet been studied simultaneously. This project aims at understanding trade-offs associated with anti-pathogen and anti-predator behaviours which is of topical interest at the intersection of behavioural, sensory, and fear ecologies. The project combines three elements but there is flexibility in the overall contribution of each element to the PhD.

1. Testing and evaluating avoidance/aversion responses to olfactory cues of

predator/pathogen in boar and deer. This experimental work will be done in a controlled environment of wildlife enclosures in the Czech Republic. Cues inducing the strongest response will be selected to be used in the second phase of the project. The student will be expected to conduct field work involving close contact with animal faeces, urine, and rotting flesh.

2. Trade-off experiments: 2a. Wild boar will be exposed to cues of predation and infection risk at natural feeding sites, i.e. oak and beech trees in autumn. Here, the project benefits from long-term monitoring plots of the tree crop and wild boar resource use established in the Czech Republic (Kostelec Forest) and Poland (Białowieża Forest). These plots will serve as an experimental setup for testing the effects of predator/pathogen avoidance on foraging; 2b. red deer will be exposed to cues of predation and infection risk in semi-wild conditions of wildlife enclosures (e.g. winter enclosures) and their foraging response will be evaluated using the giving-up densities approach.

3. Analysis of bio-logged behavioural data from wild populations. This part benefits from already collected bio-logging (acceleration and magnetometry) and GPS telemetry data from wild boar and red deer. The data has been pre-processed to obtain time-stamped sequences of different behaviours. Available data allow, for example, to explore behavioural time budgets of wild boar navigating the heterogeneous landscape of human predation risk (recreational and hunting activity) and infection risk (wild boar carcasses).

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Job description:

The work will combine intensive field work (including travel within and outside of the Czech Republic) for data collection, video-analysis of behavioural reactions,

and strong computational part involving analysis of bio-logging and GPS-telemetry data. The student will be expected to produce 3 high-quality peer-reviewed papers (a formal requirement to complete a PhD programme). There will be opportunities to present at conferences, get training through workshops and courses, and assist in teaching.

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Candidate profile:

– A Masters degree in zoology, ecology, biology, forestry or similar

– Writing, reading, and communication proficiency in English

– Good understanding of ecological statistics and experience with R

– Experience of field work with wild or captive animals, ideally in animal behaviour

– Quantitative skills in the analysis of movement and/or bio-logging data are an asset

– Prior publication and research activity will be an asset

– Driving license class B (valid to drive in the EU)

– Creativity, self-motivation, independence, attention to detail, flexibility, resilience,

troubleshooting skills

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We offer

– Starting gross scholarship of 25 000 CZK/month (ca 1000 EUR as of Jan 2024),

which is a total of a basic scholarship (11000 CZK), additional faculty scholarship (8000 CZK) and an employment contract (6000 CZK)

– Living costs are generally lower than in Western Europe. For costs of accommodation, see https://www.sreality.cz/en and for dormitories see https://www.kam.czu.cz/en

– Possibility to obtain University grants for additional scholarship (+500 EUR/month) and research funds

– Motivational bonus payments for high-quality publications

– Medical insurance provided by the University

– Funds for travel to conferences and workshops abroad. Funds for additional training

– State-of-the-art scientific and computing equipment, software, and access to journals and scientific databases.

– Subsidized lunches at the university canteen (Menza).

– International working environment (the working language is English), green spacious campus in Suchdol in the outskirts of Prague, 30 min to Prague city center by public transportation or bike, 15 min walk to several natural protected areas. The campus has various sports facilities, including a swimming pool, gym, athletic track, and indoor and outdoor playfields. Prague is one of the safest cities in the world, with excellent public transportation, international accessibility, and healthcare.

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Starting date: official date is the 1st October 2024.

Applications

To apply, please send by email (podgorski@fld.czu.cz), in a single .pdf of less than 10 MB:

· Motivation letter (1 page) describing your experience and research interests, stating why you see yourself as a good fit, and how you intend to develop the project.

· Your CV, including your education background, publications and any other relevant or interesting outputs or experiences.

· 2 academic letters of recommendation, e.g. from your former supervisor or collaborators.

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Application deadline is the 23rd of February 2024. Selected candidates will be contacted after this date.

The official date for enrollment to the PhD study programme “Forest Protection and Game Management” is 17.03.2024. Further details about the application procedure can be found here.

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more info B) postdoctoral position

Research topic:

The primary focus of the research is to explore how red deer movements, space use, habitat selection and foraging behaviour change during the wolf recolonization process. While the ‘landscape of fear’ framework predicts several behavioral strategies that prey adopts to limit predation risk, the development of those strategies over the course of predator establishment is still rarely documented. The research will take advantage of ongoing long-term (10 years) GPS-telemetry and bio-logging (acceleration and magnetometry) data collection of red deer (120 individuals) from several populations across the Czech Republic which have experienced wolf recolonization at various times during the last decade. This data provides a basis for within-population comparisons (pre-, during, post-colonisation) and contrasts with control populations where wolves are absent.

The secondary focus of the research is to explore the effects of wildlife management (hunting, feeding, winter fencing) on red deer spatial and social behavior, using the above data, and investigate how management practices interact with wolf presence to shape red deer behavior. Our data covers a wide range of management practices.

There is a scope to develop new or more specific research ideas within the broad topics described above, as well as the opportunity to utilize large GPS-telemetry datasets of other species, e.g. wild boar, available in the group.

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Job description:
The work will be mostly conceptual, analytical and computational, and will involve creativity in formulating research questions, designing the analysis, data management, calculating movement metrics, and statistical analyses (in R). There can be a need to analyze behavioral data from accelero- and magnetometry.The postdoc will also be expected to become a part of the current research activity of the lab and contribute to data analysis, experimental design, and development of new research ideas. Apart from being the lead author on papers and presenting on conferences, the postdoc can get training through workshops and courses. There will be teaching opportunities.

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Requirements

· PhD in ecology, zoology, bioinformatics, biostatistics, environmental sciences, or related field.

· Proved ability to publish peer-reviewed papers (quality track record), handle multiple coauthors, and coordinate and collaborate with external data holders.

· Expertise in analysis of GPS telemetry data (movement, space use, habitat selection) with modern metrics, approaches, and analytical tools

· Expertise in statistical analyses, modelling, and programming in R

· Ability to manage and analyze large datasets, environmental layers, experience with spatial/geographical data and GIS.

· Prior experience with constructing, analyzing and interpreting social networks is preferred

· Prior experience with analyzing acceleration and magnetometry data with DDMT software (or similar) is preferred

We aim at increasing the diversity of our team, and welcome applicants of all genders, cultures, backgrounds, ages, or countries. We believe that a diverse team will broaden perspective and enhance creativity.

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We offer

· Starting gross salary of 50 000 CZK/month (ca 2000 EUR as of Jan 2024), which is ca 38 000 CZK/month net, but the latter varies depending on the family situation and other circumstances. The median salary in the Czech Republic in the third quarter of 2023 was 37 492 CZK/month gross. Living costs (childcare, transportation) are generally lower than in Western Europe. For costs of accommodation, see https://www.sreality.cz/en.

· Motivational bonus payments for high-quality publications

. Full medical insurance and social security as a standard part of the employment contract.

· 40 days of paid holiday per year.

· Daycare at CZU campus for children of employees (≥ 2 years old).

· Funds for travel to conferences and workshops abroad. Funds for additional training

· State-of-the-art scientific and computing equipment, software, and access to journals and scientific databases.

· Subsidized lunches at the university canteen (Menza).

· International working environment (the working language is English), green spacious campus in Suchdol in the outskirts of Prague, 30 min to Prague city center by public transportation or bike, 15 min walk to several natural protected areas. The campus has various sports facilities, including a swimming pool, gym, athletic track, and indoor and outdoor playfields. The university also offers cheap holiday accommodation in the mountains outside of Prague. Prague is one of the safest cities in the world, with excellent public transportation, international accessibility, and healthcare.

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· Starting date: 1st May 2024, later dates are negotiable.

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Applications
To apply, please send by email (podgorski@fld.czu.cz), in a single .pdf of less than 10 MB:

· Motivation letter (1-2 pages) describing your expertise and experience, research interests, stating why you see yourself as a good fit, and where you see yourself and your research in the future.

· Your CV, including your publications and any other relevant or interesting outputs (code repositories, reports, your personal website, etc.).

· Contact details for 2-3 academic referees, e.g. your former supervisor, boss, or collaborator.

Review of applications will begin on the 1st of March 2024, and will continue until the position is filled.

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