Ph. D. position in Wildlife Disease Ecology

A 3-year PhD student position is available at the Institute of Experimental Ecology at Ulm University, Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Kalko, in close collaboration with Prof. Dr. Christian Drosten (Bonn University; joint project), to study ecological correlates of
emergence and dynamics of novel coronaviruses in Chiroptera (bats) in Europe and Africa. The research funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) will test a range of hypotheses integrating virology and ecology.

Involving a combination of analytical and field work in both Germany and West Africa (Ghana), the project combines molecular, endocrine and behavioural techniques. The selected candidate will be based at Ulm and conduct ecological research as part of an established international team of virologists and ecologists, working at a well-known West African research institute providing attractive field infrastructure.

Applicants should have completed a MS degree or equivalent in ecology or a related discipline and speak English fluently. Experience in experimental design, statistics and ecological methods is an asset, in particular previous experience with capture, handling, tracking or obtaining samples from birds or bats in tropical environments. Knowledge of Africa and publications from previous work would he highly regarded. The selected candidate needs to be willing to repeatedly spend several months at a time in tropical settings under difficult conditions. This requires organizational skills and the ability to live and work independently.

Please submit a single PDF file by e-mail, containing (a) a cover letter addressing the selection criteria with a brief summary of background and motivation, (b) CV including publications and language certificates if applicable, (c) abstract of MS thesis and (d) contact information of two professional referees. Applications will be reviewed from 1 June 2010 and this will continue until position is filled. The position is available from 1 July 2010 and requires an EU residency and work permit. Please send your application to elisabeth.kalko@uni-ulm.de

For further information, please refer to:
http://www.uni-ulm.de/nawi/bio3.html ;
http://www.virology-bonn.de/drupal6/?q=node/5 ;
http://www.kccr-ghana.org/