Applications are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Biology programme. The position is available from August 2025 or later.
Title:
Echolocation in bats and toothed whales
Research area and project description:
Echolocating bats and toothed whales use active sensing with sound to detect prey and navigate under conditions of poor lighting. As part of the newly founded Center for Active Sensing with Sound at Aarhus University we hereby post two fully funded PhD positions to do research on bat and toothed whale echolocation. Successful candidates will be using small acoustic tags to study how echolocating animals detect, track and catch small evasive prey in the wild, and will combine such data with lab experiments to understand how echolocation of prey is affected by interference from clutter, noise and conspecifics in complex and dynamic habitats. The candidates will employ a highly interdisciplinary approach and exploit the strong synergy between lab and field studies to understand the functional underpinnings of how small predators in air and large predators in water can hunt with sound.
For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. When - as here - you apply for a specific project, please simply copy the project description above, and upload it as a PDF in the application. If you wish to, you can indicate an URL where further information can be found.
Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants must have a relevant master’s degree in biology, engineering or physics with experience in areas including animal physiology, acoustics, biologging, signal processing and statistics. Field experience and/or experience with trained animals are advantageous. We seek ambitious, independent and skilled candidates who can play active scientific and social roles in a diverse, international lab setting. Strong English communication skills orally and in writing are mandatory, and experience with programming in Matlab or Python is highly advantageous.
Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Biology
Ny Munkegade 114-116, DK-8000 Aarhus C.
Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information for this project are invited to contact: Professor Peter Teglberg Madsen, peter.madsen@bio.au.dk or Dr. Laura Stidsholt, Laura.stidsholt@biology.au.dk
How to apply:
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see the Application guide. Please read the Application guide thoroughly before applying.
When ready to apply, go to https://phd.nat.au.dk/for-applicants/apply-here/ (Note, the online application system opens 1 March 2025)
Please note:
At the Faculty of Natural Science at Aarhus University, we strive to support our scientific staff in their career development. We focus on competency development and career clarification and want to make your opportunities transparent. On our website, you can find information on all types of scientific positions, as well as the entry criteria we use when assessing candidates. You can also read more about how we can assist you in your career planning and development.
Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background.
