We still have ONE vacancy for a motivated Research Assistant (RA) to collect behavioural data on central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes)
living in the Loango National Park, Gabon. The OCP is a long-term field
site conducting research on many aspects of chimpanzee behaviour,
health, and cognition (For more information see: https://en.ozouga.org/)
Responsibilities include:
The
RA will receive an initial training of one week at the Comparative
BioCognition Group, Institute of Cognitive Science (IKW) in Osnabrück,
Germany, by members of the OCP on the data collection methods and health
and safety protocols. After the initial training, the RA will travel to
the Loango National Park in Gabon. The RA will be responsible for
conducting daily focal animal follows on the habituated chimpanzees of
the OCP. This entails following a focal chimpanzee all day long,
observing and documenting aspects of their behaviour. The RA will also
collect fecal and urine samples, demographic and nutritional information
and potentially other data needed for specific projects (e.g., audio or
video recordings). Assistance with phenology transects and camera trap
maintenance will also be required. The RAs are locally supervised by the
OCP field-site manager and remotely by a team of experts.
Qualifications include:
The
RA should have a Bachelor/Master in Biology, Anthropology, Zoology
and/or Psychology with a strong interest in behavioral ecology/animal
behavior. Field experience and knowledge of behavioral data collection
will be a strong advantage.
Living conditions are extremely
basic. There is no running water, very limited phone coverage and
internet access, and only basic solar power for electricity. Satellite
phones are available in the event of an emergency. Team members live in
wooden huts and the food is local and basic. Additionally, the
challenging aspects of living in remote tropical conditions, coupled
with the necessity of both living and collaborating with team members,
underscore the importance of stress resilience, excellent social skills,
and maintaining professionalism in the work environment. Working with
the chimpanzees is also physically demanding, so excellent physical and
psychological conditions are necessary. The RA needs to speak French AND
English, and needs to be able to work independently after the training
in the forest. Note that the OCP adheres strictly to gender equality and
will not tolerate any form of sexual harassment.
Compensation and training:
We
offer the initial training of about 1 week (depending on existing
knowledge and experience) by experts from the OCP in Osnabrück, Germany.
Afterwards we expect a tenure of 12 months in the Loango National Park.
The research assistant receives free accommodation and a compensation
of 200€ per month for living expenses etc and a contribution of 50€
towards health insurance costs. After the successful tenure, we
reimburse return international flights from Düsseldorf to Libreville, as
well as visa costs (to a max of 1000 €).
Application:
Please
apply by sending a motivation letter, a CV (including your experience
with behavioural data collection), and contact information for two
referees to Dr. Tobias Deschner (tdes...@uos.de) and Prof. Simone Pika (sp...@uos.de), and state “RA OCP 2024” in the subject line.
We
will start evaluating the applications on April 15th, 2024 and
continue until the position is filled. The start of the appointment will be
as soon as possible.