To live together, animals must communicate, and so to understand social groups, we need to understand communication. How the receiver of a signal reacts depends on the signal content, the characteristics of the signaller, and the context in which the communication takes place. We will be using live social exposures and realistic computer-generated stimuli to control and manipulate all of these aspects of signal production in order to investigate how animals respond to social signals at behavioural, neural, and hormonal levels. Our study system is the cooperatively breeding daffodil cichlid fish (Neolamprologus pulcher), which has a fascinatingly complex social behaviour and signalling repertoire.
I am looking for students with excellent CVs (first class degree and/or distinction at the Masters level, plus relevant experience and publication success in peer reviewed journals) to apply for a competitive 3 year doctoral scholarship in the school of Biological and Environmental Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU VC studentship) which covers all fees and provides a maintenance stipend at the standard UK rate in addition to £1500pa in research funding. See here for more information about the scholarship.
We will make use of an established daffodil cichlid breeding colony at LJMU. Social behaviours can be scored using both live observations and high definition video recordings. We will make use of established behavioural paradigms and observation techniques to manipulate social experience in our study animals. We also plan to use 3D scanning and computer animation to produce highly realistic artificial stimuli which can vary in phenotype and can be programmed to display a variety of signalling behaviour. We intend to measure the response to these stimuli using detailed behavioural analysis, hormone measurements, and immediate early gene responses to quantify neural activation throughout the social brain network. This is an integrative project which will combine functional analysis of behaviour with measurements of proximate mechanisms.
Preferred candidate characteristics include a keen interest in animal social behaviour; experience studying behaviour in the laboratory; strong writing and analytical skills; knowledge of experimental design and statistical analysis. Previous experience with one or more of the following: behaviour coding, hormone analysis, immunohistochemistry, 3D modeling and commuter animation would be highly valuable. Previous experience working with fish is desirable but not essential. UK nationals only.
Please apply by email to [Email Address Removed] with a CV, a brief statement outlining your interest, and the names and contact information for two references. Please feel free to email me with any questions or to discuss the project further.
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