博士研究生（不限性别，m/f/d）|社区生态学、石工具使用与细颈卷尾猴的社会行为

该博士项目旨在研究纤细卷尾猴的群落生态与社会行为，通过野外实验、数据分析及建模研究工具使用现象。申请者应拥有相关领域的硕士学位，并具备一定的实地研究经验，需具备定量分析能力，且愿意在热带环境中工作。

Project Details: We will hire one student for one of two possible projects: [A] Community Ecology of Stone Tool Use in Gracile Capuchins This project will focus on combining field experimentation and data collection, analyzing existing data, and analytical or agent-based modeling to tackle varying questions related to stone tool use by white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus imitator) living in the archipelago of Coiba National Park, Panama. Most of these groups are unhabituated and highly terrestrial, so camera trapping is central to our research. Field work may consist of a few 2 week trips or longer multi-month stays in Panama depending on the nature of the project. Linking Tool-Use Behavior to Below-ground Ecological Processes Promises and Pitfalls of Capuchin Tool-use to Heterospecifics The Metapopulation Ecology of Stone Tool Sites [B] Multi-site comparisons of the social behavior, ecology, and/or movement of gracile capuchin monkeys (genus Cebus) This project is opened up to a motivated and independent PhD student with systems expertise in Cebus trying to answer broad scale questions about the social behavior, population demography, community ecology, movement ecology or any other aspect of Cebus behavior, evolution, and ecology. A desire to develop indirect approaches to measure these biological or environmental traits (camera trapping, remote sensing, biological samples) is a plus. Potential students may work within our study systems in Panama, or foster collaboration between long-term studies where they have previous research experience and support from senior collaborators. The project should dovetail with long-term research goals of our group and yield within group collaborations.

Qualifications: REQUIRED: Applicants are required to have a Masters degree in any scientific discipline including biology, ecology, anthropology, archaeology, or the quantitative sciences and have some previous field research experience. DESIRED: The candidate should be enthusiastic about integrating observational and/or experimental field collected data with quantitative approaches in Bayesian data analysis, causal inference, or theoretical modelling. Broad thinking and a desire to link fields and questions across disciplines is a plus. Previous field research experience in remote environments, the desire to conduct field research in the tropical Americas, and the ability to work and communicate in a cross-cultural context is highly desirable. Prior experience with programming (e.g. in R, Python, Julia, Mathematica, NetLogo, etc.) and an enthusiasm for tackling challenging problems is also highly desirable.Researchers with systems expertise, who feel they may be lacking in quantitative skills are encouraged to apply as well if they are willing to put in considerable effort to develop them with the group’s guidance. The student will be expected to proactively co-develop and implement research ideas to move the project forward, thus a high degree of independence, and ability to know when to ask for help if needed, is crucial. The working language of the group is English, the ability to speak Spanish is desirable, and German language skills are not a requirement. Applicants who are shortlisted for interviews are strongly encouraged to talk to current lab members and alumni to feel out if a PhD position in the group is a mutually beneficial fit.

我们的录取通知： 入选者将加入一个支持性、国际化的跨学科研究团队，享有优质的学术与职业指导，能够参与课程学习与会议活动，并拥有作为计算生物学家和野外生物学家的成长机会。 该职位将获得全额资助，持续4年（根据TVöD工资标准，等级为E-13，占比65%）。 马克斯·普朗克科学促进学会致力于聘用更多严重残疾人士。 对于严重残疾人士的申请，我们明确欢迎其申请。 德国‌马克斯·普朗克科学促进学会‌致力于实现性别与多样性平等。 我们欢迎来自不同背景的申请者申请。

How to apply: Are you interested? Then we are looking forward to receiving your application by December 1, 2026 through IMPRS Online portal . Please include the following application materials: Curriculum vitae (CV) Contact information for 2 references Letter of motivation Research Statement (2 pages, excluding references) Research interests: Describe your main research interests, how they developed, and how they relate to the research we do in our group. (½ page) Research proposal: Spend some time exploring our groups prior publications or relevant literature. Then, choose one of the potential project directions listed above (A or B) and describe 1-2 specific biological questions you would like to ask or hypotheses you would like to test within the scope of the project. Explain the theoretical framework and/or analytical approach(es) you would use to address your question(s). Include a mock figure (can be hand drawn) of what your results might look like, and an interpretation of your potential findings (1-2 pages). ( NOTE: this section is an opportunity for you to develop your ideas and demonstrate how you would address scientific questions with quantitative approaches. It is not meant as a full-fledged PhD proposal, and you will not be expected to carry out the exact project you propose should you join our team!) Code example: If possible please provide an example of some code you have written, with a brief explanation of what it does (you can also link to publicly-accessible repository). The code does not have to relate to animal behavior, but it should be written by you and be something you can explain to others if needed. AI Declaration: For transparency (and not penalization), indicate if you used AI in drafting your application, and if so describe briefly how you used it. Academic transcripts for your BSc and MSc degrees. Transcripts can be unofficial at this stage – official records will be required before acceptance.