Doctoral position on cumulative culture in chimpanzees (m/f/d)

at  MaxPlanckInstitut fr evolutionre Anthropologie

MAX-PLANCK-INSTITUT FÜR EVOLUTIONÄRE ANTHROPOLOGIE - ZENTRALES BEWERBERMANAGEMENT

The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, asks one of the most fundamental questions in science and life: What does it mean to be human? The Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology at the MPI EVA combines developmental, cross-cultural, and comparative psychology approaches to study the fundamental architecture of human and non-human cognition.
Doctoral position on cumulative culture in chimpanzees (m/f/d)

WORKING FIELD:

We are looking for a Doctoral position on cumulative culture in chimpanzees (m/f/d) for a doctoral project focusing on the cognitive foundations of cumulative cultural evolution in chimpanzees. The successful applicant will be funded for three years (extension up to five years is possible), ideally starting January 1st 2025.
Your Project:
The aim of this PhD project is to test whether chimpanzees have the capability and motivation to develop cumulative cultures – the process in which cultural innovations incrementally shape cultural expressions such that they become better suited for their envisioned purpose. You will study chimpanzees’ potential to create and maintain cumulatively established cultures by means of targeted experimental assays. Moreover, you will investigate whether chimpanzees’ social network properties are predictive of their potential to develop cumulative cultures with behavioural observations and network analyses.
You will be hosted in the Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, led by Daniel Haun. The CCP Department focuses on uniquely human cultural diversity and the universal cognitive mechanisms that enable and constrain it. You will be embedded in this team Leipzig, and co-supervised by Edwin van Leeuwen, head of the Primate Culture Origins Group at Utrecht University, and Josep Call, Professor in Evolutionary Origins of Mind, University of St. Andrews.
You will conduct a series of studies investigating the cognitive foundations of cumulative cultural evolution in humans’ closest living relatives. The project will be a combination of behavioural studies with chimpanzees in group settings at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust (CWOT) in Zambia. Furthermore, there are possibilities to conduct research at the Wolfgang Köhler Primate Research Center in Germany, and the Budongo Research Unit in Edinburgh Zoo. Lastly, there is room to extend research efforts to bonobos. Your project will involve periodic fieldwork (approx. 3-4 months/year) at the CWOT in Zambia. Finally, your project will be a collaborative project involving coordinated contributions from 3 PhD students (see parallel ad at Utrecht University).

REQUIREMENTS:

• Excellent Master’s degree in Psychology or a related cognitive science field
• Experience in conducting behavioural experiments and structural observations of animal behaviour
• Excellent statistical knowledge and skills in data analysis using R, preferably including network analyses and/or computational modeling
• Excellent English language skill, both written and spoken
• Willingness to live in remote conditions for around 3 to 4 months per year for the time of the PhD project
• Willingness to learn other languages to support their work
• Most importantly, we are looking for cooperative and social students who are eager to learn from and work within an international research team on the topic of chimpanzee culture.

HOW TO APPLY:

If you are interested in applying for the position, we are looking forward to receiving your digital application by August 15th, 2024. This application should contain the following information:

• Cover Letter showing your motivation in the research topic, as well as information about relevant prior experience and own expectations regarding the position
• Curriculum Vitae incl. university degree certificates
• Contact information of three references including affiliation and email address (two from former research supervisors, one from a peer student)
• Writing sample (i.e., thesis, first-author publication)

Only complete submissions via the following link will be taken into consideration (Please use the link to the application online system on the bottom of the job offer):
https://www.eva.mpg.de/career/positions-available/job/618/Abteilung%20Vergleichende%20Kulturpsychologie/en/?cHash=833d43dbe8b22ab8aa0bda54f9ce5b4a

Please refer the Job description for details