Applications are invited for appointment as Post-doctoral Fellow in the School of Biological Sciences (Ref.: 517065), to commence as soon as possible for one year, with the possibility of renewal subject to satisfactory performance.

Applicants should possess a Ph.D. degree in animal behaviour, behavioural ecology or equivalent.  They should have a strong background including working with animals (experience with large mammals in captivity preferred), conducting fieldwork in remote locations, and analysing behavioural data using appropriate software. Experience in experimental design, analysis in R, Asian elephant behaviour and fieldwork in South or Southeast Asia would be an advantage.

The appointee will join a vibrant and international team at the Applied Behavioural Ecology and Conservation Lab, specifically participating in the recently funded GRF grant on using food to investigate personality and cognitive bias in Asian elephants. This grant is a collaboration with Dr. Josh Plotnik (City University of New York) and Dr. Ellen Dierenfeld (Nottingham Trent University).

The appointee will study the responses of captive Asian elephants to food and the food choices they make. They will address the objective of manipulating the taste or scent of food in a safe and measurable way to determine how this impacts the behaviour and choices of elephants. This will complement the ongoing fieldwork and projects of Ph.D. students.

The appointee will also be responsible for collecting data in the field, recording experiments, compiling their data, analysing data, writing up papers and presenting work at local and international seminars and other fora. He/She may have the opportunities to design new studies and collect or analyse further field data, following the publication of analyses on the project. There are also opportunities to collaborate on group projects, participate in professional training and contribute to teaching and funding applications in the group. The position will primarily be based in Hong Kong with periods of fieldwork at the Nepal field site. More information about the research group can be found at https://www.hannahsmumby.co.uk.  Enquiries about the post may be sent to Dr. Hannah Mumby at hsmumby@hku.hk.

A highly competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience will be offered, in addition to annual leave and medical benefits.  At current rates, salaries tax does not exceed 15% of gross income.

The University only accepts online application for the above post.  Applicants should apply online and upload an up-to-date C.V. with contact details for two references, a cover letter and a brief statement of research interests.  Review of applications will commence as soon as possible and continue until November 30, 2022, or until the post is filled, whichever is earlier.