Looks like a nice funded PhD opportunity - Hannah
From: teaching and research, in animal behaviour [mailto:ANIMAL-BEHAVIOUR@JISCMAIL.AC.UK]
On Behalf Of Leanne Proops
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 12:37 AM
To: ANIMAL-BEHAVIOUR@JISCMAIL.AC.UK<mailto:ANIMAL-BEHAVIOUR@JISCMAIL.AC.UK>
Subject: [ASAB-MAIL] PhD available in Animal Social Communication and Cognition
PhD studentship available for 2015 in animal social communication & cognition
Emotional signalling in animals: identifying positive affect and its consequences
School of Psychology, University of Sussex
Supervisor: Prof Karen McComb (University of Sussex) and Dr Leanne Proops (University of
Sussex)
http://www.lifesci.sussex.ac.uk/cmvcr/Home.html
Emotional signalling is a crucial but poorly understood aspect of animal social behaviour,
mediating important social interactions and contributing to an individual's ability to
form social relationships and reproduce successfully. One aspect of emotional signalling
in animals that has received surprisingly little attention is the way in which positive
emotions are expressed and the consequences of this signalling both for the individual
itself and its conspecifics. Displaying positive emotions may contribute to building an
individual's own resilience as well as enhancing its ability to form social bonds - a
possibility that has not been investigated in animals. Moreover, it is now recognised that
animal welfare should be assessed not simply by the absence of negative emotions, but also
by the presence of positive ones, so a systematic study of how positive emotions are
expressed in a range of species would have considerable applied value. The PhD student
would use techniques developed in our lab for quantifying animal facial expressions (and
vocalisations) in order to identify cues that are consistently associated with positive
emotional experiences. They would also explore the relationship between signals with
positive emotional valence and physiological and behavioural measures of coping behaviour.
Work on domestic horses would provide a starting point for this study, but the project
would look at parallels in cues used to signal positive emotion across a range of
different mammal species and their relationship to individual coping mechanisms and social
behaviour.
Applications should be made by Friday 30th January 2015. The award of the studentship will
be based on a competitive process. If awarded, it would be a full-time studentship (funded
for a duration of three years) covering tuition fee, and a maintenance allowance. The
maintenance allowance is currently £13,863 per annum. There is an expectation to
contribute to teaching on a paid basis.
Eligibility requirements for potential candidates:
· This award will only pay fees at the Home/EU rate. The maintenance allowance is
currently £13,863 per annum.
· Candidates must have, or expect to obtain, a First or a high Upper Second Class
Honours undergraduate degree, or equivalent qualification, and/or a Master's degree in
Psychology or a related discipline.
Guidance for applicants:
Please send your initial enquires by email for the attention of 'Postgraduate
Coordinator' to: psychology@sussex.ac.uk<mailto:psychology@sussex.ac.uk>
If you wish to discuss the details of this PhD project further please contact Prof Karen
McComb (karenm@sussex.ac.uk<mailto:karenm@sussex.ac.uk>)
Applications should be submitted to the University of Sussex online postgraduate
application system (
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/pg/applying/2015entry) by Friday 30th
January 2015.
Please submit your online application together with:
· A research statement that briefly outlines our current state of knowledge,
hypotheses that could be addressed, and an outline of potential methods. Your answer
should not exceed 2 pages including references, be set at minimum 10 font type with
margins a minimum of 1cm.
· A teaching-related statement that addresses the normal expectation that you
contribute to teaching of statistics and research methods (up to 300 words).
An up to date CV
· A current degree transcript(s) with full details of performance on all completed
courses
Two academic references
The proposed source of funding should be specified as 'GTA'.