The Centre for Marine Science & Technology at Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, is looking for a PhD student to study sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off Australia. Sperm whales exist all around Australia, in deep water, along the continental shelf. They were hunted to near extinction; in particular the number of adult males was reduced by 90%. We have little understanding of population size, demographics and recovery in Australia. Curtin University’s Centre for Marine Science & Technology has 20 years of underwater acoustic recordings from around Australia, many with high enough sampling frequencies to detect sperm whale clicks. We are looking for a PhD student to study the bioacoustics of Australian sperm whales, to develop passive acoustic tools for their monitoring, and to estimate sperm whale occurrence based on primarily acoustic data. We have logistical support for additional field work, including acoustic and visual data collection. However, we do not have a student stipend available; i.e., the student would have to cover their own living expenses. Australian and New Zealand students do not pay tuition fees but are encouraged to apply for Australian Postgraduate Awards that cover living expenses. International students would need to source their own funding or scholarship to cover international tuition fees (about 35,000 AUD/year = 26,000 USD/year). This project will start in very early 2017. The student will be supervised by Robert McCauley, Christine Erbe and Chandra Salgado Kent. If you’re interested, please contact us as soon as possible and attach your CV. Email: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://cmst.curtin.edu.au <http://cmst.curtin.edu.au/>
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