The Social Side of Sleep

Supervisors:
Prof. Meg Crofoot (University of Konstanz, MPI-AB),
Dr. Roi Harel (MPI-AB, University of Konstanz)

Starting date: flexible (June to October of 2025)

We are seeking highly motivated PhD students to join our team studying the interplay between social decision-making and sleep. This project, funded by the European Research Council, aims to bring the study of sleep into a collective context by tracking the behavior, movement and sleep of an entire population of wild baboons to understand how the social environment shapes (and is shaped by) the sleep patterns of its members.

Students will develop projects within this framework that combine behavioral field work, field experiments, animal tracking technologies, and quantitative analysis of biotelemetry data. These positions are fully funded for 4 years, and are open to students of any nationality.

Project Details. Students will work with their supervisory team to develop projects that focus on understanding how the social decisions animals make impact the quality of their sleep and how, in turn, the sleep behavior of group-living animals influence their ability to coordinate, cooperate and achieve collective action. Research activities will include the quantitative analysis of biotelemetry data as well as field-based data collection at the Mpala Research Centre in Laikipia, Kenya. Start date is flexible between June and October of 2025.

Supervision and Research Community. Students will join the International Max Planck Research School for Quantitative Behavior, Ecology and Evolution (IMPRS-QBEE), a cooperative doctoral program between the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the University of Konstanz, and will be co-supervised by Prof. Meg Crofoot (https://www.biologie.uni-konstanz.de/en/ag-crofoot/prof-dr-meg-crofoot/, University of Konstanz, MPI-AB), Dr. Roi Harel (https://www.ab.mpg.de/person/103467/2736, MPI-AB, University of Konstanz) and/or other department scientists or collaborators. The University of Konstanz and the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior together form a thriving research community representing a global hotspot for collective behavior and animal movement research.

Qualifications. This call is open to candidates from all academic backgrounds who can articulate how their background and training prepare them to conduct their proposed research project. Ideal candidates should have a positive attitude, enthusiasm for learning, and demonstrated ability to engage in independent research. A collaborative spirit and the ability to work as part of a team are essential. A Masters degree in ecology, anthropology, computer science, physics or other relevant subject is desirable, but is not required to apply. Applicants who have not completed a Masters will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Doctoral Committee and might be requested to complete additional course-work.

The working language of the group is English, and German language skills are not a requirement.

Location. Konstanz is a small, vibrant city located on the border between Germany and Switzerland, on the shores of the Bodensee (Lake Constance). It is easy to get out into the beautiful German and Swiss countryside and the Alps, as well as to neighboring Zurich and Munich.

Application Process. Applicants should apply via the IMPRS application system (https://imprs-qbee.cloud.opencampus.net/, due November 24th, 2024), and are also required to include a CV and a research statement (see below for details).

Research Statement Instructions. Applicants should include a 1-2 page research statement that addresses the following points:
1. Describe your main research interests, how they developed, and how they relate to the proposed research project.
2. Read this article and describe 1-2 hypotheses you would like to test (or analyses you would like to perform) in the context of the described project, and indicate how you would address them using observational approaches, field experiments or analysis of biotelemetry data.
3. Explain why you want to pursue a Ph.D. and what you hope to gain through the process (including specific skills, experiences, perspectives—1/2 a page)