PhD opportunity: Social immunity in group-living birds

Social animals are at greater risk of contracting infectious diseases than those that live alone. But why do so many animal species form groups if this is so costly for individual health? One intriguing possibility is that social animals can share components of their immune system with their group mates as a means of bolstering group defences against parasites. As part of an exciting new project designed to test this idea for the first time in wild birds, we are looking for an enthusiastic and adventurous PhD student to join our team and perform research on social immunity in wild-living African birds.

As PhD candidate, you will work in a team focussing on immunity-sharing traits in birds. Your primary focus will be on immune sharing between family and group members during breeding. Our study species, the speckled mousebird has a highly complex social life, and it is your task to contribute to understanding how parasite exposure influences its evolution. You’ll find out what immune components are shared between members of breeding groups and test whether mousebirds adjust immune-sharing strategies according to the identity and infection status of their group members, as well as the environmental conditions at the time of breeding. The project involves field- and lab work, video-analyses and data analyses.

Data collection in the field for this project involves performing fieldwork under challenging field conditions, with stays of 3+ months at a field research centre in Mbuluzi Game Reserve, Eswatini, between October and January each year. Candidates must be able to commit to doing fieldwork in this period to be eligible for the position.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Fieldwork: perform nest searches, monitor reproductive attempts, record reproductive and social behaviours at the nest using video cameras, collect biological samples from eggs and nestlings. Fieldwork is conducted as part of a team involving Masters students and fieldwork assistants from the universities of Wageningen, Eswatini and Pretoria. As PhD student, you will (after appropriate training and experience) lead the field team and assist in the supervision of Masters students;
• Lab work: perform immune assays on egg and faecal samples;
• Extract data on social group composition and immune sharing behaviours from video recordings of mousebird nests;
• Analyse and pool data and findings to test hypotheses about how immune sharing relates to sociality, group composition and environmental conditions;
• Publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals and present them at national and international conferences.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the chair Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, which is led by Prof. Frank van Langevelde. You will work within the research team of Dr. Kat Bebbington, who will also provide the daily supervision. This project forms part of the Social Savanna Project, a collaborative long-term study into the ecology, physiology and behaviour of a community of savanna-breeding birds in Mbuluzi Game Reserve, Eswatini (see below). You will be co-supervised by Dr. Kevin Matson (Wildlife Ecology and Conservation group, WUR) and Dr. Sjouke A. Kingma (Behavioural Ecology group, WUR).

About the Social Savanna Project
The Social Savanna Project was established in 2019 by Dr. Bebbington and Dr. Kingma as a broadscale ornithological project, with the overall aim of filling the substantial knowledge gap regarding the reproduction, ecology and behaviour of savanna birds in southern Africa. In close collaboration with Prof. Ara Monadjem at the University of Pretoria and Zamekile Bhembe at the University of Eswatini, we run various research projects – some species-specific, some at the community level – aimed at understanding the social and environmental factors that shape behaviour, physiology and fitness of wild birds. At the heart of the project is a commitment to facilitating knowledge transfer between academics and students of different backgrounds in order to conduct excellent science. You can read all about the Social Savanna Project here: www.socialsavannaproject.com.

Senior Benthic Ecologist

Als senior benthisch ecoloog bij Wageningen Marine Research zet je jouw expertise in voor onderzoek naar de effecten van menselijke activiteiten zoals visserij, zandwinning of klimaatverandering op mariene bodemdieren, herstel van schelpdierhabitats en/of duurzame productie van schelpdieren. Jij bent een toegevoegde waarde in de omgang met analyse van grote datasets en/of met experimenteel veld- en labonderzoek. Daarbij heb je affiniteit met toegepast onderzoek en het werken in complexe beleids- en stakeholder omgevingen. Je initieert nieuw onderzoek inclusief het verkrijgen van financiering hiervoor en geeft leiding aan projecten.

Jouw verantwoordelijkheden als benthisch onderzoeker zijn:

• Aansturen en uitvoeren van grote en complexe onderzoeksprojecten;
• als boegbeeld optreden op het gebied van benthische ecologie naar (potentiële) klanten en media;
• verwerven van nieuwe onderzoeksopdrachten binnen het vakgebied;
• projectvoorstellen en offertes opstellen, metingen doen, data verzamelen, analyse van onderzoeksresultaten en rapportage van uitkomsten;
• presentatie van de uitkomsten van het onderzoek aan het bedrijfsleven, sectororganisaties, maatschappelijke organisaties, overheid en collega-wetenschappers;
• onderhouden en uitbouwen van ons nationale en internationale netwerk.

Jouw team
Vanuit locatie Yerseke ga jij samenwerken met diverse projectteams in verschillende samenstellingen. Als projectleider geef je inhoudelijke en projectmatige sturing aan veldmedewerkers en onderzoekers zodat zij hun werkzaamheden efficiënt en gedegen kunnen uitvoeren.

Wageningen Marine Research (WMR) is een toonaangevend marien ecologisch onderzoeksinstituut met circa 190 mensen in dienst. Binnen WMR wordt gewerkt aan veldonderzoek, theoretisch onderzoek, experimenteel onderzoek, datamanagement en modellering. Het instituut beschikt over moderne onderzoeksfaciliteiten en is ISO 9001 gecertificeerd. Het chemisch en benthos laboratorium zijn bovendien ISO 17025 geaccrediteerd. WMR is een organisatieonderdeel van Wageningen University & Research.

Senior Benthic Ecologist

As a Senior Benthic Ecologist at Wageningen Marine Research, you will apply your expertise to research into the effects of human activities such as fisheries, sand extraction or climate change on marine benthic fauna, the restoration of shellfish habitats and/or the sustainable production of shellfish. You add value through your ability to analyse large datasets and/or through experimental field and laboratory research. You have an affinity with applied research and with working in complex policy and stakeholder environments. You initiate new research, including securing funding, and lead projects.

Your responsibilities as a benthic researcher include:

• leading and carrying out large and complex research projects;
• acting as a figurehead in the field of benthic ecology towards (potential) clients and the media;
• acquiring new research commissions within the field;
• preparing project proposals and quotations, conducting measurements, collecting data, analysing research results and reporting findings;
• presenting research outcomes to industry, sector organisations, civil society organisations, government bodies and fellow scientists;
• maintaining and expanding our national and international network.

Your team
From the Yerseke location, you will work with various project teams in different compositions. As a project leader, you provide both substantive and project-based direction to field staff and researchers, enabling them to carry out their work efficiently and to a high standard.

Wageningen Marine Research (WMR) is a leading marine ecological research institute employing approximately 190 people. Within WMR, work is carried out on field research, theoretical research, experimental research, data management and modelling. The institute has modern research facilities and is ISO 9001 certified. In addition, the chemical and benthos laboratories are ISO 17025 accredited. WMR is part of Wageningen University & Research.

Researcher Crop Production and Varieties – Open Field Crops

As a researcher in crop production and varieties in open-field farming, do you find it important to take the cultivation of both conventional and new crops to the next level? Would you like to contribute to crop and variety improvement in Dutch arable farming and roughage production? And would you like to use your knowledge and experience as a project leader and project executor? Are you an enthusiastic and flexible researcher with a sharp eye for detail, who values high-quality work and has a sense of entrepreneurship? Then we are looking for you!

What will you do?
At the Business Unit Open Field Crops in Lelystad, we are looking for an enthusiastic researcher who can contribute to the field of crop and variety research for arable and fodder crops. You will carry out research on optimizing the cultivation of a wide range of existing and new crops. This includes Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) research for determining variety lists (for example maize and cereals). In addition, you will conduct research on cropping systems and robust varieties in the context of new farming systems (such as Farm of the Future) and climate change.

You will often work within large public-private partnerships, collaborating with various stakeholders on today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. Within the team, you actively contribute to acquiring new projects and take initiative in consultation with involved partners. You enjoy translating new knowledge into practical applications and sharing this knowledge with practitioners.

Your role
As a subject-matter expert in crop research, you will have several responsibilities:

• carrying out projects in terms of content (setting up research, conducting it, and reporting), together with colleagues;
• leading projects, in cooperation with a project management support officer;
• acquiring new projects.

On average, you will spend most of your time on the research content, while carrying out all three tasks. Depending on your interests and skills, the balance in time spent on these tasks may vary slightly.

Lecturer position in Behavioural Ecology

The chair group Behavioural Ecology at Wageningen University is offering a position as Lecturer in Behavioural Ecology. As a lecturer, you will contribute to teaching BSc- and MSc-level courses on Animal Behaviour, Animal Ecology, Behavioural Ecology, and related fields. You will further support the chair group’s teaching coordination and be responsible to provide BSc and MSc thesis topics and supervise a few of those projects. There will be limited opportunity to follow up on your own research.

The selected candidate will have excellent teaching ability and motivation and is able to work in an international team. The willingness to further shape and innovate our teaching program is beneficial. We offer a stimulating and friendly working environment. Training and coaching are provided to support the candidate’s professional development.

You will work here
The Behavioural Ecology chair group combines expertise in fundamental and applied animal behaviour using a range of animals as research models. Our group is part of the Animal Science Department at Wageningen University & Research.