Prof C Rutz
No more applications being accepted
About the Project
SUMMARY
Why do so few animals use tools, and why are we humans so good at it? Dr Christian Rutz’s research group tries to shed light on this fascinating scientific puzzle by studying tool-using crows. The group’s discovery that the Hawaiian crow Corvus hawaiiensis is a highly proficient tool user -- published recently as the cover story of Nature -- creates unprecedented opportunities for comparative studies with tool-using New Caledonian crows C. moneduloides and naturally non-tool-using corvids. This PhD project will contribute to this exciting new research programme. There is considerable flexibility with regards to specific study objectives, but the successful candidate is likely to conduct both fieldwork and aviary-based experiments, with excellent scope for collaboration with other group members (currently, 2 Postdocs and 3 PhD students). This fully-funded PhD project offers excellent opportunities for a highly motivated student to join a dynamic and prolific research group, to conduct topical research on the evolutionary ecology of animal tool behaviour, and to receive training in state-of-the-art research methodologies.
CENTRE FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
The Centre for Biological Diversity (CBD) at the University of St Andrews provides a highly interactive and stimulating environment for doctoral studies, with particular strengths in animal behaviour and evolution. The successful candidate would benefit from frequent interactions with postgraduates, postdocs and PIs, including lab chats, seminars, and discussion groups.
SELECTION CRITERIA
+ excellent academic track record
+ excellent analytical, writing and communication skills
+ demonstrable skill and enthusiasm for behavioural research and fieldwork
+ high degree of self-motivation and independence
+ ability and willingness to live and work overseas, for extended periods of time and sometimes under challenging field conditions
+ clean driving licence
+ prior research experience is an advantage
CONTACT
For further details on the project and for informal inquiries, please contact Dr Christian Rutz ([Email Address Removed]). Before you get in touch, please read the references listed below, to get a good understanding of the group’s current research activities.
Funding Notes
Funding for 3 years will be provided by a School of Biology Postgraduate Scholarship
References
STUDY SYSTEMS
+ Hunt, G.R. (1996) Manufacture and use of hook-tools by New Caledonian crows. Nature 379, 249–251.
+ Rutz, C. et al. (2016) Discovery of species-wide tool use in the Hawaiian crow. Nature 537, 403–407.
+ Rutz, C. and St Clair, J.J.H. (2012) The evolutionary origins and ecological context of tool use in New Caledonian crows. Behav. Processes 89, 153–165.
RECENT PAPERS BY RUTZ GROUP
+ Klump, B.C. et al. (2015) Hook tool manufacture in New Caledonian crows: behavioural variation and the influence of raw materials. BMC Biology 13, 97.
+ Klump, B.C. et al. (2015) Context-dependent ‘safekeeping’ of foraging tools in New Caledonian crows. Proc. R. Soc. B 282, 20150278.
+ Rutz, C. et al. (2016) Tool bending in New Caledonian crows. R. Soc. Open Sci. 3, 160439.
+ St Clair, J.J.H. et al. (2015) Experimental resource pulses influence social-network dynamics and the potential for information flow in tool-using crows. Nature Communications 6, 7197.
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