I am looking for a Ph.D. student to work on the determinants of variability in male reproductive success in eastern grey kangaroos in Victoria, Australia. This research is part of a long-term program on kangaroo evolutionary and population ecology in collaboration with Dr. Graeme Coulson of the University of Melbourne. We are monitoring three populations of kangaroos and have marked over 300 individuals. The Ph.D. will involve behavioral observations during three breeding seasons (November to January), capture, marking and measuring of kangaroos, remote measurements of body size using parallel lasers, collection of tissue samples from pouch young and DNA analyses in the laboratory of Dr. Dany Garant in Sherbrooke to identify fathers. Preliminary analyses show a substantial amount of genetic variability.
Assets for this position include a M.Sc. degree, publications, a knowledge of French (or a strong willingness to learn it), fieldwork experience, strong quantitative skills and laboratory experience in molecular ecology. Canadian candidates will be preferred, but strong foreign candidates will be seriously considered. A tax-free scholarship (Can $ 17,000/year for 3.5 years), and financing for travel, fieldwork and lab expenses are available. The program can begin in either May or September 2010. For information on my research, see http://pages.usherbrooke.ca/mfesta/marco.htm and for details about grad studies in my lab see http://pages.usherbrooke.ca/mfesta/advice.htm Interested candidates should e-mail a CV, a statement of research interests and the e-mails of two referees to Marco Festa-Bianchet: [email protected]
