Research Associate - Evolution Of Animal Play

The role

We are seeking an enthusiastic and dedicated postdoc to work on our Leverhulme funded project investigating the Evolution of Animal Play.

This interdisciplinary project will use broad phylogenetic comparative data across taxa with ambitious, in-depth behavioural studies of wild dolphins to shed new light on the origins of Animal Play and its functions in dolphins.

What will you be doing

• You will spend time collecting empirical data from a well-studied, wild population of dolphins to test key hypotheses on the adaptive functions of play; specifically, whether juvenile social play in male dolphins leads to skill progression of reproductive behaviour, and whether juvenile social play also functions to develop social assessment skills. This will require you to spend time at a remote field site in Western Australia for a few months per year with other research team members.
• You will be responsible for fieldwork, data analysis and paper writing.
• In addition, you will be responsible for conducting a meta-analysis on mammalian play using phylogenetically informed statistical models to test evolutionary theories about the importance of play behaviour.

You should apply if

• You will have a PhD (awarded or imminent) in a relevant subject, a strong background in conducting fieldwork with wild animal populations and using mixed-modelling statistical approaches.
• Extensive knowledge of R or MATLAB is required and experience collecting and analysing acoustic and/or drone-mounted video data is desirable.
• You will need excellent data handling and management, and communication skills.