[MARMAM] SEEKING RESEARCH ASSISTANTS FOR THE CETACEAN RESEARCH UNIT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

[Valeria Senigaglia]

SEEKING RESEARCH ASSISTANTS FOR THE CETACEAN RESEARCH UNIT, WESTERN
AUSTRALIA

I am seeking THREE research volunteers assist in collecting data for my PhD
on bottlenose dolphin behaviour, from the 1st of June 2018 till the 1st of
September 2018.



PhD Outline: The project explores the ecological consequences and
socio-economic drivers of food provisioning of free-ranging bottlenose
dolphins in Bunbury, Western Australia. The feeding is conducted under a
state license by Dolphin Discovery Center as part of their touristic offer.
I examine both the short- and long-term ecological consequences of food
provisioning at both the individual and population level. The project aims
to determine potential effects of food provisioning on dolphin behavioral
budgets, maternal care, home range sizes, reproductive success and social
dynamics. Moreover, the project explores the satisfaction level and
attitude towards food provisioning of staff and visitors. Ecological and
socio-economic consequences of food provisioning will then inform
management planning. Data on dolphin behavior are collected from boat and
from the beach where the food provisioning takes place. Additionally,
questionnaires will be distributed to the visitors and staff of the Dolphin
Discovery Centre. This experience will be most useful to students or anyone
wishing to pursue a career in behavioral ecology, conservation and social
science or marine science.

http://mucru.org/our-research/group-members/valeria-senigaglia/



Office: Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit, South West Marine
Research Program office based at the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury.

http://www.dolphindiscovery.com.au/



Duties:

Field: Behavioural data collection, spotting wildlife, boat driving, social
science, photo identification

Office: Data entry, fin matching, project organization. Computer programs
used for data are: FinBase, ACDSee, Microsoft Access, Excel and Word.



Assistants should be adaptable and patient as fieldwork is highly weather
dependent. Fieldwork will vary between weekdays and weekends and can be
long hours and on consecutive days.



Preferred skills/traits:

1. Enrolled in or completed a degree in biology, marine science, animal
behaviour or a related field.

2. Previous field experience with wildlife (behavioural field data
collection, photoidentification).

3. Boating experience.

4. Be enthusiastic, team oriented and have a positive attitude as well as a
genuine interest in wildlife science.



Unfortunately, we are unable to provide monetary compensation or living
provisions and research assistants will be responsible for their own travel
to Western Australia and living expenses. Please note, the Bunbury
backpackers and the Rosa Hotel provide good discounts for assistants of the
Dolphin Discovery Centre. Moreover, additional help in finding shared
accommodation can be provided.

If you are interested in volunteering or interning, please provide a short
CV and a cover letter to the attention of valeria.senigag...@gmail.com.


Looking forward to welcome you in Western Australia,

Cheers


Valeria Senigaglia

PhD candidate, Murdoch Cetacean Research Unit

Murdoch University, Western Australia

Australia
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[MARMAM] SEEKING RESEARCH ASSISTANTS FOR THE CETACEAN RESEARCH UNIT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

[Valeria Senigaglia]

SEEKING RESEARCH ASSISTANTS FOR THE CETACEAN RESEARCH UNIT, WESTERN
AUSTRALIA



Program: The South West Marine Research Program is a long-term, monitoring
project on the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins of South West Australia.
The program is based in Bunbury (South of Perth in Western Australia) and
is a collaboration between Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit and
numerous industry and non-profit partners. Previous research focused on
dolphin population dynamics, abundance, social structure, habitat use,
conservation, genetics and foraging ecology
http://mucru.org/research-projects/south-west-marine-researchprogram/



Here, I am seeking FOUR research volunteers assist in collecting data for
my PhD, from the 1st of December 2017 till the 1st of March 2018.



PhD Outline: The project explores the ecological consequences and
socio-economic drivers of food provisioning of free-ranging bottlenose
dolphins in Bunbury, Western Australia. The feeding is conducted under a
state license by Dolphin Discovery Center as part of their touristic offer.
I examine both the short- and long-term ecological consequences of food
provisioning at both the individual and population level. The project aims
to determine potential effects of food provisioning on dolphin behavioral
budgets, maternal care, home range sizes, reproductive success and social
dynamics. Moreover, the project explores the satisfaction level and
attitude towards food provisioning of staff and visitors. Ecological and
socio-economic consequences of food provisioning will then inform
management planning. Data on dolphin behavior are collected from boat and
from the beach where the food provisioning takes place. Additionally,
questionnaires will be distributed to the visitors and staff of the Dolphin
Discovery Centre. This experience will be most useful to students or anyone
wishing to pursue a career in behavioral ecology, conservation and social
science or marine science.

http://mucru.org/our-research/group-members/valeria-senigaglia/



Office: Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit, South West Marine
Research Program office based at the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury.

http://www.dolphindiscovery.com.au/



Duties:

Field: Behavioural data collection, spotting wildlife, boat driving, social
science, photo identification

Office: Data entry, fin matching, project organization. Computer programs
used for data are: FinBase, ACDSee, Microsoft Access, Excel and Word.



Assistants should be adaptable and patient as fieldwork is highly weather
dependent. Fieldwork will vary between weekdays and weekends and can be
long hours and on consecutive days.



Preferred skills/traits:

1. Enrolled in or completed a degree in biology, marine science, animal
behaviour or a related field.

2. Previous field experience with wildlife (behavioural field data
collection, photoidentification).

3. Boating experience.

4. Be enthusiastic, team oriented and have a positive attitude as well as a
genuine interest in wildlife science.



Unfortunately, we are unable to provide monetary compensation or living
provisions and research assistants will be responsible for their own travel
to Western Australia and living expenses. Please note, the Bunbury
backpackers and the Rosa Hotel provide good discounts for assistants of the
Dolphin Discovery Centre. Moreover, additional help in finding shared
accommodation can be provided.

If you are interested in volunteering or interning, please provide a short
CV and a cover letter to the attention of valeria.senigag...@gmail.com.
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[MARMAM] SEEKING RESEARCH ASSISTANTS FOR THE CETACEAN RESEARCH UNIT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

[Valeria Senigaglia]

Hello everyone,

I am seeking THREE research volunteers from the 1st of January 2017.
Volunteers will assist in the data collection of my PhD on the effects of
food provisioning on bottlenose dolphins in Bunbury, Western Australia. The
project is part of the South West Marine Research Program.

Program: The South West Marine Research Program is a long-term, monitoring
project on the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins of South West Australia.
The program is based in Bunbury (south of Perth) and is a collaboration
between Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit and numerous industry and
non-profit partners. Previous research focused on dolphin population
dynamics, abundance, social structure, habitat use, conservation, genetics
and foraging ecology
http://mucru.org/research-projects/south-west-marine-researchprogram/

PhD Outline: The project will explore the ecological consequences and
socio-economic drivers of a food provisioning program of free-ranging
bottlenose dolphins in Bunbury, Western Australia. The feeding is conducted
under a state license by Dolphin Discovery Center as part of their
touristic offer. I will examine both the short- and long-term ecological
consequences of food provisioning at both the individual and population
level. Specifically, the project aims to determine potential effects of
food provisioning on dolphin behavioral budgets, maternal care, home range
sizes, reproductive success and social dynamics. Moreover, the project will
also explore the satisfaction level and attitude towards food provisioning
of staff and visitors. Ecological and socio-economic consequences of food
provisioning will then inform management planning.

Data on dolphin behavior will be collected from boat and from the beach
where the food provisioning takes place. Additionally, questionnaires will
be distributed to the visitors and staff of the Dolphin Discovery Centre.
This experience will be most useful to students or anyone hoping to pursue
a career in behavioral ecology, conservation and social science or marine
science.

http://mucru.org/our-research/group-members/valeria-senigaglia/

Office: Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit, South West Marine
Research Program office based at the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury.

http://www.dolphindiscovery.com.au/

Duties: Behavioural data collection, spotting wildlife, boat driving,
social science, photo identification

Office: Data entry, fin matching, project organisation. Computer programs
used for data are: FinBase, ACDSee, Microsoft Access, Excel and Word.

Assistants should be adaptable and patient as fieldwork is highly weather
dependent. Fieldwork will vary between weekdays and weekends and can be
long hours and on consecutive days.
Preferred skills/traits:

1. Enrolled in or completed a degree in biology, marine science, animal
behaviour or a related field.
2. Previous field experience with wildlife (field data collection,
photoidentification, boat handling skills).
3. Be enthusiastic, team oriented and have a positive attitude as well as a
genuine interest in wildlife science.

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide monetary compensation or living
provisions and research assistants will be responsible for their own travel
to Western Australia and living expenses. Please note, the Bunbury
backpackers and the Rosa Hotel provide good discounts for assistants of the
Dolphin Discovery Centre. Moreover, additional help in finding shared
accommodation can be provided.

If you are interested in volunteering or interning, please provide a short
CV and a cover letter to the attention of Valeria Senigaglia
valeria.senigag...@gmail.com
Valeria Senigaglia
PhD student,
Cetacean Research Unit
Murdoch University
Australia
valeria.senigag...@gmail.com
v.senigag...@murdoch.edu
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[MARMAM] Seeking research assistants for the Cetacean Research Unit, Western Australia from May to November 2016

[John Symons]

Program:

The South West Marine Research program is a long-term, multi-faceted project on 
the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins of South West Australia. This program is 
based in Bunbury (south of Perth) and is a collaboration between Murdoch 
University Cetacean Research Unit (www.mucru.org) and 
numerous industry and non-profit partners. The research focuses on dolphin 
population dynamics, abundance, social structure and behaviour, habitat use, 
conservation genetics, effects of human activity and foraging ecology.


http://mucru.org/our-research/research-projects/south-west-marine-research-program/


Position:

Here, I am specifically seeking research volunteers to assist with data
collection and processing. Long-term data will be used to investigate effects 
of human activity on the population of bottlenose dolphin in this area, in 
order to aid in future conservation and management efforts. Fieldwork is 
conducted from Busselton to Binningup within a 540 km2 area consisting of 
coastal beaches, inshore bays, estuarine inlets and a river. Using a rigid 
sampling design, this research is conducted year round via standardised line 
transect surveys (up to 5 nm offshore) from a small research vessel. For 
further information on the boat-based photo-identification procedure, see the 
following open-access publication:


http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0076574


Additionally, land based data collection of vessel usage within the study area 
is conducted using distance sampling methods from a land based station in 
Bunbury. This experience will be most useful to students or anyone hoping to 
pursue a career in behavioural ecology, population biology, marine conservation 
or marine science.



Office:

Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit, South West Marine Research Program 
office is based at the Dolphin Discovery Center in Bunbury.

http://dolphindiscovery.com.au/



Duties:

Field: spotting wildlife, data collection, boat driving, photo identification.

Office: Data entry, fin matching, project organisation.

Land based: Use of binoculars with bearing and reticles for distance sampling 
of vessel traffic within the study area.

Computer programs used for data are: FinBase, ACDSee, Logger, Microsoft Access, 
Excel, and Word.



Assistants should:

Be adaptable, patient, and enthusiastic as fieldwork is highly weather
dependent. Fieldwork will vary between weekdays and weekends. When the weather 
permits fieldwork could be long and on consecutive days. Land based components 
of the research may be conducted in poor weather conditions including wind and 
rain. Due to the training required, applicants must be willing to the project 
full-time for a minimum of two months. Applicants willing to participate for an 
extended duration will be given preference.



Preferred skills/traits:
1. Enrolled in or completed a degree in biology, marine science, animal 
behaviour or a related field.

2. Previous field experience with wildlife (field data collection, 
photo-identification, boat handling skills).

3. Be enthusiastic, team oriented and have a positive attitude as well as a 
genuine interest in wildlife science.

4. No history of debilitating seasickness.

Time Period:

Seeking skilled research assistants for periods beginning in May 2016 through 
November 2016 with a commitment greater than 2 months preferred. Unfortunately, 
we are unable to provide monetary compensation or living provisions and 
research assistants will be responsible for their own travel to Western 
Australia and living expenses.



If you are interested in volunteering or interning, please provide a cover 
letter including your time of availability, a short CV and contact information 
for at least 2 references to the attention of John Symons 
(j.sym...@murdoch.edu.au). Short-listed 
candidates will be contacted to schedule an interview.



John Symons
PhD Candidate

Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit
School of Veterinary and Life Sciences
Murdoch University
South Street
Murdoch WA 6150 Australia

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[MARMAM] Seeking research assistants for the Cetacean Research Unit, Western Australia commencing October 15th, 2014.

[Symons, John Christopher]

Seeking research assistants for the Cetacean Research Unit, Western Australia 
commencing October 15th, 2014.



Program:

The South West Marine Research program is a long-term, multi-faceted project on 
the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins of South West Australia. This program is 
based in Bunbury (south of Perth) and is a collaboration between Murdoch 
University Cetacean Research Unit (www.mucru.org) and 
numerous industry and non-profit partners. The research focuses on dolphin 
population dynamics, abundance, social structure and behaviour, habitat use, 
conservation genetics and foraging ecology.


http://mucru.org/our-research/research-projects/south-west-marine-research-program/


Position:

Here, I am specifically seeking research volunteers to assist with data 
collection and processing from October 15th, 2014. Long-term data will be used 
to investigate population dynamics and habitat use, in order to aid in future 
conservation and management efforts. Fieldwork is conducted from Busselton to 
Binningup within a 540 km2 area consisting of coastal beaches, inshore bays, 
estuarine inlets and a river. Using a rigid sampling design, this research is 
conducted year round via standardised line transect surveys (up to 5 nm 
offshore) from a small research vessel. For further information on the 
boat-based photo-identification procedure, see the following open-access 
publication:


http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0076574


This experience will be most useful to students or anyone hoping to pursue a 
career in behavioural ecology, population biology or marine science.



Office:

Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit, South West Marine Research Program 
office based at the Dolphin Discovery Center in Bunbury.

http://dolphindiscovery.com.au/



Duties:

Field: spotting wildlife, data collection, boat driving, photo identification.

Office: Data entry, fin matching, project organisation.

Computer programs used for data are: FinBase, ACDSee, Logger, Microsoft Access, 
Excel, and Word.



Assistants should:

Be adaptable, patient, and enthusiastic as fieldwork is highly weather 
dependent. Fieldwork will vary between weekdays and weekends. When the weather 
permits fieldwork could be long and on consecutive days. Due to the training 
required, applicants must be willing to the project full-time for a minimum of 
two months. Applicants willing to participate for an extended duration will be  
given preference.



Preferred skills/traits:

  1.  Enrolled in or completed a degree in 
biology, marine science, animal behaviour or a related field.

  2.  Previous field experience with 
wildlife (field data collection, photo-identification, boat handling skills).

  3.  Be enthusiastic, team oriented and 
have a positive attitude as well as a genuine interest in wildlife science.

  4.  No history of debilitating 
seasickness.

Time Period:

Seeking skilled research assistants for the period of October 2014 - December 
2015 with a commitment greater than 2 months preferred. Unfortunately, we are 
unable to provide monetary compensation or living provisions and research 
assistants will be responsible for their own travel to Western Australia and 
living expenses. Please note that the Bunbury backpackers provide good 
discounts for assistants of the Dolphin Discovery Center.



If you are interested in volunteering or interning, please provide a short CV, 
cover letter including your time of availability, and contact information for 2 
references to the attention of John Symons (j.symons...@aberdeen.ac.uk).



John Symons, MRes Commendation

Research Associate

Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit

School of Veterinary and Life Sciences
Murdoch University

South Street

Murdoch WA 6150 Australia

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