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Research Fellow - School of Biosciences

Employer
Global Academy Jobs
Location
United Kingdom
Salary
£30,395 - £42,036
Closing date
Sep 18, 2019

Job Details

School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £30,395 to £39,609, with potential progression once in post to £42,036.

Grade 7

Full time/FTC for up to 3.5 years

Closing date: 18th September 2019

Background

Despite excellent progress in orangutan rehabilitation over the last few decades, there remains strong evidence that released individuals do not have, and may never acquire, the wild-type behavioural profiles needed to thrive in natural habitats. This has significant repercussions for their welfare, ability to pass down core skills to future generations and ability to perform the same ecosystem services as wild, non-rehabilitant orangutans.

The Enclosure Design Tool (EDT) is a scientific framework we created to translate research on wild great apes into a format sanctuaries can use to encourage wild-type behaviours and enhance quality of life in their great apes. In a previous project we successfully applied the EDT to rehabilitant orangutans in partnership with BOSF. In parallel we have worked closely with the OVAG community to fully understand how the EDT can support sanctuary rehabilitation and release procedures.

In this project, funded by the ARCUS Foundation, we will work with the Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF), The Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) and the Orangutan Veterinary Advisory Group (OVAG) community to obtain detailed behavioural ecology data on sanctuary and released orangutans to quantify the skills that they are lacking when released and/or failing to develop sufficiently well. We will translate these results into improved rehabilitation techniques, by refining and extending the scope of the EDT in preparing orangutans for release; quantifying their suitability for release and measuring their adaptation to natural habitats. Our aim is to co-create a comprehensive, evidence-based pre-release assessment tool and post release monitoring tool to support the orangutan sanctuary community.

The post holder will be part of an international team and will play a key role in collecting data on the behavioural ecology and welfare of rehabilitant orangutans when they are in the rehabilitation centre and after they have been released into the wild. The post holder will spend some time in the UK, but will be largely based in Indonesia working with BOSF and other partners.

Main Duties/Responsibilities

The responsibilities may include some or all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Collect research data through 1) literature reviews of the behavioural ecology (e.g. locomotion, cognition and social behaviour) of wild and captive apes and 2) non-invasive observations of captive orangutans in sanctuaries and after released.

• Process, analyse and interpret the data, and make recommendations for the design of captive enclosures based on a synthesis of the datasets and existing expertise

• Apply knowledge in a way that develops new intellectual understanding of methods to house and care for sanctuary orangutans and to contribute to improved rehabilitation techniques for their release back into the wild

• Disseminate research findings through publications and presentations to both academic and non-academic groups, particularly via partnership with the Orangutan Veterinary Advisory Group

• Help with supervision of undergraduate student projects related to the research, and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline (both UoB students and those from partner organisations in SE Asia)

• Work as part of an international team, from the UK and Indonesia, maintaining effective communication links at all times and sharing knowledge to obtain the best project outcomes. Also to undertake any management/ administration arising from this research

• Work as part of an international team, from the UK and Indonesia, maintaining effective communication links at all times and sharing knowledge to obtain the best project outcomes. Also to undertake any management/ administration arising from this research

• Work with OVAG and the orangutan rehabilitation centre community to translate research knowledge into improved rehabilitation techniques, and translate rehabilitation centre knowledge into improvements to the EDT

• Work with staff at our project partners to ensure knowledge transfer of all key methods and techniques involved in the use of the Enclosure Design Tool

• Run workshops with other interested parties to ensure the views of stakeholders are built into the design of the EDT and to ensure knowledge transfer at the end of the project

Person Specification

• PhD in primate behavioural ecology or a related topic. Some knowledge of locomotion, cognition or biomechanics/physics is beneficial.

• Demonstrable expertise in studying primate, preferably great ape, behaviour and/or ecology

• Proven ability to work in the field (wild and/or sanctuary) in tropical conditions for extensive periods of time: the successful applicant will spend the majority of the grant period living in Indonesia

• Excellent communication skills, with a wide range of audiences, in a range of formats. Experience in managing research in captive environments and the unique issues that arise from research in this setting

• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes in research

• Ability to speak some Indonesian and/or willingness to learn the language

We value diversity at The University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community'

Valuing excellence; sustaining investment

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