*Gelada Monkey Research in the Ethiopian Highlands*
**
*Hiring Organization*:
Dr. Peter Fashing (California State University Fullerton) & Dr. Nga
Nguyen (California State University Fullerton)
**
*Date Posted*:
January 31, 2018
TWO field assistants are needed for a study of the behavior, ecology,
and conservation of wild gelada monkeys (/Theropithecus gelada/) at a
remote, long-term field site in north-central Ethiopia called Guassa.
Field research assistants will participate in data collection during an
intensive 13-month long field season as part of this study, now in its
second decade. Assistant duties will include (but are not limited to)
carrying out behavioral observations, fecal sample collection, and
vegetation monitoring. Work will begin in mid-May 2018 and last until
the end of June 2019. Applications will be accepted until both positions
are filled.
**
*POSITION DESCRIPTION*
Two field assistants are needed for a study of the behavior, ecology,
and conservation of wild gelada monkeys (/Theropithecus gelada/) at a
remote, semi-permanent field site in north-central Ethiopia called
Guassa. The study is being carried out by Dr. Peter Fashing and Dr. Nga
Nguyen, professors in the Anthropology Department and Environmental
Studies Program at California State University Fullerton. The field
assistants will be responsible for (a) collecting basic demographic and
reproductive data as part of routine monitoring of the well-habituated
study population, (b) conducting focal animal samples (c) recording GPS
readings of gelada ranging locations, as well as (d) conducting
vegetation monitoring and (e) walking census transects. The two field
assistants will share a camp and research responsibilities while at Guassa.
The study area consists of 111km^2 of hilly Afro-alpine grassland
situated at 3,200-3,600 meters above sea level along the eastern edge of
the Ethiopian highlands and affords spectacular views out over the Great
Rift Valley nearly a mile below. A number of animals endemic to the
Ethiopian highlands occur at Guassa including geladas, the critically
endangered Ethiopian wolf (the world’s rarest canid), the blue-winged
goose, and the thick-billed raven. Notable mammals not endemic to
Ethiopia but also present at Guassa include hyenas, leopards, serval
cats, and the recently discovered cryptic African wolf. The gelada
population at Guassa has been studied on a near-daily basis since
January 2007 and nearly all individuals in the main ~220-member study
band are habituated to observers at distances of a few meters or less.
For more information on the project, please see the following website:
http://anthro.fullerton.edu/gelada/
*QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE*
Applicants should have a B.S. or B.A. in Biology, Biological
Anthropology, or a related field. Good physical fitness and a
willingness to walk long distances (6-12 km) each day are essential to
working at Guassa where the terrain is hilly, the air thin (due to the
high elevation), and the geladas wide-ranging. Experience with winter
camping and life in cold climates is preferred since the successful
applicants will be living in (spacious) tents at a location where nights
are sometimes below freezing (as low as 19ºF though 33-36ºF is more
typical) and days are often chilly (45-60ºF) and windy (10-40 km/hour)
as well. Our campsite is situated on an isolated patch of ecologically
pristine alpine grassland far from human habitation and applicants must
be highly self-sufficient (the nearest town, Mehal Meda, is 22
kilometers away from camp, we do not own a vehicle, and contact with
other English-speakers is rare). Field assistants will live in a
semi-permanent campsite with 2 Ethiopian staff members with limited
English language skills. Prior travel and/or field experience in Africa
or mountainous regions of Asia or South America preferred. Applicants
must be fluent in English and eager to learn Amharic (the national
language of Ethiopia).
After Guassa, former field research assistants have all (n=20)
co-authored one or more peer-reviewed journal articles with us. Most
have gone on to pursue graduate studies (Ph.D. and/or Master’s,
including at Yale, Dartmouth, Penn State, Minnesota,
Massachusetts-Amherst, Toronto, Saskatchewan, UC Santa Barbara, Oxford,
UC London, and Georg-August [Göttingen], among others) or additional
research opportunities in biological anthropology, animal behavior, or
ecology. Several assistants have returned to Guassa to conduct graduate
or postdoctoral research.
For an example of media coverage of a recent (February 2017) scientific
paper (in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology) involving past
and current Guassa Gelada Research Project assistants, please see...
http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2017/02/02/512990553/a-new-view-into-the-primate-birthing-process
Our research site was also recently featured in the April 2017 issue of
National Geographic magazine. The article featured stunningly beautiful
photographs of Guassa and its geladas made by Jeff Kerby, a former GGRP
field assistant who subsequently earned his PhD at Penn State and is now
a postdoctoral researcher at Dartmouth. For more details, please see…
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/04/gelada-monkeys-grass-eating-guassa-ethiopia-bleeding-heart/
**
*SALARY/FUNDING*
None.
**
*SUPPORT PROVIDED FOR INTERNSHIP/VOLUNTEER POSITIONS*
Research assistants will be provided with basic accommodation, food and
other basic supplies while at the field site. In addition, we will pay
each assistant’s $1,000USD research fee (directly to the Ethiopian
Wildlife Conservation Authority) for permission to conduct research in
Ethiopia. However, applicants must pay their own international travel to
Addis Ababa ($1,500-$2,000USD from the USA, less from Europe), including
the cost of a tourist visa (~$70USD), and are responsible for any
additional expenses incurred while traveling in Ethiopia, including
travel to and from the field site and Addis every few months (to buy
supplies, see a movie, etc.). Buses to Addis (300 km from Guassa or 6-8
bumpy hours travel) are inexpensive ($10 each way) and run almost daily
from Mehal Meda. Camp is located a few miles walk from the road where
you can catch the bus after a one or more hour wait. Luxury food items
such as chocolates, cookies and canned tuna may be purchased in Addis at
the volunteer's expense. Our semi-permanent camp is remote but
comfortable, with large walk-in tents with beds, solar electricity for
the lights, a laptop computer, and small electronics, as well as mobile
telephone service for international calls and calls within Ethiopia, and
regular email service. Travel health insurance is strongly recommended;
volunteers are required to acquire the necessary vaccinations prior to
entry to Ethiopia. Volunteers are required to provide their own
winter/alpine condition clothing, footwear and sleeping bag. Advice
about what items are necessary for life at Guassa can be provided upon
request.
**
*TERM OF APPOINTMENT*
13 months beginning mid-May 2018 and ending late June 2019. Because the
training process requires approximately 2 months, assistants must be
willing to work for a minimum of 13-months. We work in teams of twos and
each researcher typically spends two to three days in the field with the
geladas and one day at camp helping with camp chores and data entry and
checking (we download and proof each day’s data onto the camp computer
at the end of each field day). We expect successful applicants to be
keen observers and diligent and conscientious students of animal
behavior. Volunteers must be willing to work in a small team setting and
have demonstrated a willingness to follow instructions/protocols closely
in the past. We expect detailed updates from the field at least twice
each week by email to keep us updated on conditions/progress in the field.
**
*APPLICATION DEADLINE*
Positions will remain open until filled.
**
*COMMENTS*
To apply, please submit (1) a letter of interest stating how and why
this position satisfies your interest and future educational or career
goals, explaining your suitability for this project, plus a time frame
during which you are available to work, (2) a CV or resumé detailing
relevant experience, (3) a summary of college courses taken and the
grades received, to be followed later by an official transcript, and (4)
contact information for at least two references, preferably at least one
academic reference as well as one person who has worked closely with you
or who has closely supervised your work. The subject *heading of the
email***message should read*: “*Application for field research
position*”. *Please email the application materials to Dr. Peter Fashing
at peterfash...@gmail.com <mailto:peterfash...@gmail.com>.
**
*Contact Information*:
Peter Fashing <mailto:peterfash...@gmail.com>, Ph.D.
Dept. of Anthropology
California State University, Fullerton
800 N. State College Blvd.
Fullerton, CA92834-6846
USA
Phone: 657-278-3977
**
*Email*
peterfash...@gmail.com <mailto:peterfash...@gmail.com>
**
*Website*:
http://anthro.fullerton.edu/gelada
*For more information about the project directors:*
http://anthro.fullerton.edu/pfashing/
http://anthro.fullerton.edu/nganguyen/