PhD Student (m/f/d) |Community ecology, stone tool use and social behavior in gracile capuchin monkeys

PhD Student (m/f/d) |Community ecology, stone tool use and social behavior in gracile capuchin monkeys
Young Researchers
Radolfzell / Konstanz
Developmental and Evolutionary Biology & Genetics
Behavioral Sciences
Microbiology & Ecology
Job Offer from October 23, 2026
The Max Planck Institut of Animal Behavior at its sites in Konstanz and Radolfzell offers an international, interdisciplinary, and collaborative enviroment that opens up unique research opportunities. The goal of our basic research is to develop a quantitative and predictive understanding of the decisions and movements of animals in their natural environment.
The Ecology of Animal Societies at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior would like to fill
PhD Student (m/f/d) 100 % - Community ecology, stone tool use and social behavior in gracile capuchin monkeys
with a flexible starting date in
summer / autumn 2027
. This position is fully funded for a period of 4 years. The workplace will be in Konstanz, Germany.
Our Group
The Inheritance and Social Learning across Scales (ISLaS) group investigates how extragenetic modes of inheritance– namely cultural transmission via social learning and the ecological inheritance of home ranges and territories— affect and are affected by social behavior, ecology, and genetic evolution. We aim to integrate quantitative theory with reproducible Bayesian statistical modeling grounded in an appreciation for natural history. Our work integrates theory and tools from cultural evolution, animal behavior, population biology, spatial ecology, and the quantitative social sciences. We are based out of Konstanz, Germany, but our group does field research in Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mozambique, and California. Our current group has projects focused on the adaptive significance of tool use, parasitology, social behavior and ecology in capuchin monkeys, methods development in social network analysis, and computer vision tools for studying longitudinal behavior and population demography using camera traps. We prioritize theoretical and methodological rigor and embracing uncertainty over prestige, and are sympatheticto many social and methodological calls for science reform (i.e. reproducible, open science and in-country field-partnerships and collaboration).
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.
Our Offer
The student will join the
Inheritance and Social Learning across Scales (ISLaS) research group
led by
Dr. Brendan Barrett
(he/him) and integrated within the
Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies
. They will work closely with a team of collaborators both within the department, outside of the department and at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. The University of Konstanz and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior together form a thriving research community representing a global hotspot for behavioral ecology, collective behavior, and animal movement research, including the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior. The student will join the
International Max Planck Research School for Quantitative Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution from lab to field (IMPRS-QBEE)
, a cooperative doctoral program between the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the University of Konstanz.
The successful candidate will join a supportive, international, and interdisciplinary research team, with access to strong academic and career mentorship, the ability to participate in coursework and conferences, and opportunities for growth as both a computational and field biologist.
The position is fully funded for 4 years (TVöD salary scale E-13, 65%). The Max Planck Society endeavors to employ more severely disabled people. Applications of severely disabled persons are expressly welcome. The Max Planck Society strives for gender and diversity equality. We welcome applications from all backgrounds.
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.
Questions about this position should be addressed to Dr. Brendan Barrett (
bbarrett@ab.mpg.de
).