Graduate Research Assistant- Neuroendocrinology and Avian Social Behavior

[margulis]

Virginia Tech and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute are seeking a PhD student to start in the Fall 2014. The student will work on a NSF funded project investigating the proximate links between hormones, neuroendocrine gene expression, behavioral phenotypes, and social network structure in a cooperative lek-breeding bird, the wire-tailed manakin (Pipra filicauda). The research will combine descriptive studies (natural variation in hormones, behavior, and neuroendocrine gene expression), experimentation (phenotypic engineering, hormone challenges, and social intrusions), and novel social networking approaches (proximity data-logging). The student will be co-advised by Drs. Brandt Ryder and Ignacio Moore and will be based in the Department of Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech (http://www.biol.vt.edu/research/index.html) in Blacksburg, VA.

The ideal candidate will have a strong interest in behavioral ecology, endocrinology, social network theory, and genetics. Applicants with a master’s degree or extensive experience in these subject areas will be given priority. Fieldwork will be conducted at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station in the Ecuadorian Amazon. This field site is adjacent to Yasuni National Park, which is considered to be the most biodiverse region in the world. Qualified applicants must have extensive field experience, preferably studying tropical birds. Technical field skills should include mist-netting, banding, color-band re-sighting, nest searching, and radio telemetry. All competitive applicants will also have meticulous data collection skills, good inter-personal skills, and the ability to work independently. The field site is extremely remote and a student will be expected to work long-hours in hot, humid, extremely buggy, and often rainy conditions. Candidates must be in excellent physical shape with the ability to carry 50+ pounds and walk long distances on muddy trails. The fieldwork will be physically and mentally demanding. In addition to extensive fieldwork (~4 months/yr), the project will also include a lab component (hormone and neuroendocrine gene expression assays). Prior experience with general lab techniques (pipetting, titration, solution prep, PCR, etc.) is a plus. Other preferred qualifications include Spanish fluency, quantitative modeling skills, programing skills in R and peer reviewed publications. We encourage international students to apply.

            The position will include a graduate research assistantship with stipend (~$24k/yr). PhD students are required to do a teaching assistantship in their first year of study. To apply please send a single PDF document that includes a cover letter, CV/Resume including GRE scores and contacts for at least three professional references, and a writing sample (one page essay describing your future research goals). If you have recently completed a master’s degree, also include a copy of your thesis and any first author publications. Submit materials to Dr. Brandt Ryder via email (ryd...@si.edu) by February 1^st 2014 with the subject line heading of  “MANAKIN GRA”.