To the Ecolog list server administrator, I am seeking applicants for three PhD projects. Would you be able to post the information below on the Ecolog list please.
Kind regards, Menna PhD project - Ecological restoration of mammals and birds in Tasmania School of Zoology, University of Tasmania The project: Restoring resilience in wildlife populations Vertebrate wildlife is declining in temperate woodlands, even where vegetation appears to be in good condition. Vertebrate biodiversity in the Midlands Biodiversity Hotspot in Tasmania is threatened by agricultural intensification, ecological simplification and disruption, and an increase in feral cats following the decline of the Tasmanian devil. The species most threatened are critical-weight-range mammals (quolls, bandicoots and bettongs) and woodland birds. The aim of the project is to create an animal-centric approach to habitat restoration for vertebrate wildlife, based on a deep understanding of ecological process, as opposed to conventional approaches based on ecological pattern. This new understanding of risk-sensitive foraging decisions by individual animals (process) will lead to the development of more realistic landscape restoration, comprising patterns of wildlife presence, gene flow and habitat at landscape scales in predictive models. There are several PhD projects on offer, focussing on different faunal groups. The applicant: We are seeking applicants with a passion for research science, field work and conservation. A strong quantitative background is essential. Selection of applicants will be based on merit; to be competitive will generally require First Class Honours or Research Masters, enhanced by publications. Funding: Project support: The project is funded by the ARC Linkage scheme "Restoring resilience in wildlife populations" by Menna Jones, Chris Johnson, Chris Burridge and Neil Davidson (Greening Australia). Australian and New Zealand students: (APA) $24,653 and a top-up of $7,500 per year International students: UTAS offers a number of competitive scholarships that may cover living expenses and tuition fees. Interantional students are encouraged also to seek scholarships in their own country. UTAS provides a free laptop to all PhD students and funding schemes for international conference attendance during the PhD. To apply or enquire: Please email Dr Jennifer Sprent with a statement of your background and interest in the project, your Curriculum Vitae, and a copy of your undergraduate academic transcripts. Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>; Phone: +61 0439 591262 For project details, please enquire to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> http://www.utas.edu.au/zoology/ PhD project opportunities on Tasmanian devils and their contagious cancer School of Zoology, University of Tasmania The project: Demography and epidemiology of Tasmanian devils and facial tumour disease in long-diseased areas Infectious diseases of wildlife can cause extinction, particularly when transmission is dependent on density-independent contact such as occurs during seasonal breeding. Tasmanian devils, the world's largest marsupial carnivore, are threatened with extinction in the wild from a novel contagious cancer. Almost all animals contract the disease and die once they reach sexual maturity when exposure increases during sexual conflict in mating and male contests. While the facial tumour disease has caused in excess of 90% population decline in eastern Tasmania where the disease has been present for 15 years, devils still persist. The aim of this project is to understand the demographic processes in the host populations and the epidemiology of the disease in these long-diseased areas in a framework of microevolution of the host and tumour. Temporal change will be studied at two long-term study sites with regular trapping and sampling of the devil population and tumours. Spatial population processes will be studied at a regional scale using a combination of remote cameras, non-invasive hair collection, field trapping and population genetics of dispersal. The applicant: We are seeking applicants with a passion for research science, field work and conservation. A background in ecology with quantitative skills and molecular genetics is important. Selection of applicants will be based on merit; to be competitive will generally require First Class Honours or Research Masters, enhanced by publications. Funding: Project support: This project is funded under a collaborative US National Science Foundation grant "Emergence, transmission and evolution of Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease" (including Menna Jones). Australian and New Zealand students: (APA) $24,653 and a top-up of $7,500 per year International students: UTAS offers a number of competitive scholarships that may cover living expenses and tuition fees. Interantional students are encouraged also to seek scholarships in their own country. UTAS provides a free laptop to all PhD students and funding schemes for international conference attendance during the PhD. To apply or enquire: Please email Dr Jennifer Sprent with a statement of your background and interest in the project, your Curriculum Vitae, and a copy of your undergraduate academic transcripts. Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>; Phone: +61 0439 591262 For project details, please enquire to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> http://www.utas.edu.au/zoology/ PhD project opportunities on Tasmanian devils and their contagious cancer School of Zoology, University of Tasmania The project: Social networks, behaviour and transmission of Tasmanian devils and facial tumour disease Social behaviour has a critical role in the transmission and spread of infectious diseases. Describing the structure of a contact network within a population provides the rational basis for understanding and managing epidemic outbreaks in wildlife diseases. Tasmanian devils, the world's largest marsupial carnivore, are disappearing in the wild from a novel contagious cancer. Almost all animals contract the disease and die once they reach sexual maturity. This project will utilise new technology in telemetry - proximity sensing radio-collars - to estimate the role of network metrics, social behaviour and bite wounds on transmission dynamics as the disease spreads through a wild population. Contact tracing of infected and susceptible individuals will generate data on who infects who, which will be used to estimate important epidemiological parameters such as incubation and latent periods of the disease and the association of network metrics and infection risk. Contact heterogeneities and network metrics at individual and population level will be parameterised to build epidemiological models aimed at predicting realistic infection dynamics at the disease front. This project will improve conservation management actions to protect wild devil populations. The applicant: We are seeking applicants with a passion for research science, field work and conservation. A background in ecology with strong quantitative and field skills is essential. Selection of applicants will be based on merit; to be competitive will generally require First Class Honours or Research Masters, enhanced by publications. Funding: Project support: This project is funded under a collaborative US National Science Foundation grant "Emergence, transmission and evolution of Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease" supporting an international team in the US, Australia and UK. Australian and New Zealand students: (APA) $24,653 and a top-up of $7,500 per year International students: UTAS offers a number of competitive scholarships that may cover living expenses and tuition fees. Interantional students are encouraged also to seek scholarships in their own country. UTAS provides a free laptop to all PhD students and funding schemes for international conference attendance during the PhD. To apply or enquire: Please email Dr Jennifer Sprent with a statement of your background and interest in the project, your Curriculum Vitae, and a copy of your undergraduate academic transcripts. Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>; Phone: +61 0439 591262 For project details, please enquire to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> http://www.utas.edu.au/zoology/ ======================================= Dr Menna Jones | ARC Future Fellow School of Zoology University of Tasmania Private Bag 5, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Ph: +61 407 815606 | Fax: +61 3 62262745 Web: http://fcms.its.utas.edu.au/scieng/zoo/pagedetails.asp?lpersonId=1321 =======================================
