ABS CO Staff
VOLUNTEER FIELD ASSISTANT, Macaca Nigra Project in Sulawesi Indonesia
Position Description:
I am in need of a research assistant to assist with behavioral data collection for a PhD dissertation project on male-male social relationships in wild crested macaques in Indonesia. The male crested macaques have been observed to have tense competitive relationships, yet they also show apparently cooperative behaviors in the form of coalitions and prosocial behaviors like ritualized greetings (i.e. mutual genital grasping) and reconciliation. We will be examining the male coalition patterns and conflict management patterns within intragroup and extragroup competitive contexts. Results of this study may shed light on the social and ecological conditions that allowed coalitionary behavior in human males to evolve.
Duties include following adult male subjects in habituated groups from approximately dawn to dusk, recording all behavioral interactions of the subjects with other individuals into tablets, and data organization and analysis.
The field site is Tangkoko Nature Reserve in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The duration of the project is 15 months starting November 2015. I am looking for an assistant to start ASAP to stay for 6 months.
Qualifications/Experience:
Previous fieldwork experience with primates is preferred. Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree with a focus on primatology, animal behavior, biology, ecology, psychology, or related field. Fieldwork is rigorous, thus applicants must be physically fit and able to handle working alone for long periods of time under tropical conditions. They must be able handle living in very basic conditions, away from family and friends. Applicants are expected to be willing to adapt to a foreign culture and work harmoniously with our international team. Applicants must have excellent social skills and be emotionally mature, friendly and very patient. Maintaining a positive attitude towards hard and tiring work is a must. The language in our team is English but the willingness to learn Bahasa Indonesia is expected. Health insurance is advised.
Salary/funding:
This is a volunteer position. No salary will be provided.
Support provided for internship/volunteer positions (travel, meals, lodging):
Food and lodging at the research camp is provided. Assistants must be prepared to pay for visas, airfare and personal items.
Term of Appointment:
Applicants must be available to stay for 6 months.
Applications:
Completed applications are needed ASAP. To apply, please email a cover letter summarizing your qualifications and reasons for applying, CV, unofficial transcripts, and list of references with contact information to maur...@buffalo.edu.
Comments:
This is a great opportunity to gain research experience in primatology while working as part of an international team. Assistants will acquire valuable skills in data collection, research methodology and data analysis, which are highly advantageous for students pursuing graduate school. Prospective graduate students are highly encouraged to apply.
Contact Information:
Maura Tyrrell
State University of New York at Buffalo, 380 MFAC-Ellicott Compex
Buffalo, NY 14261
USA