Dear Marmam community,
The University of Portsmouth is currently seeking applications for a fully-funded 3yr PhD on "Vessel Collisions with Large Whales: Behavioural responses and areas of risk". This project aims to quantify vessel collision risks for fin whales in the Bay of Biscay. ORCA, a cetacean conservation charity, has been utilising platforms-of-opportunity to collect cetacean sightings around the world since 2001. On-board observers collect data relating to effort, ship location/speed/heading, and whale sightings. The current project will both utilise ORCA’s long-term dataset and conduct fieldwork to collect additional data. Behavioural analyses will assess fine-scale behaviour of whales during vessel encounters, whilst density surface models will be used to identify high-risk areas. A full project description is available on FindAPhD: https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/vessel-collisions-with-large-whales-behavioural-responses-and-areas-of-risk/?p105039 This is a competition-funded PhD project, and open to UK / European students only. The bursary covers tuition fees and an annual maintenance grant in line with the RCUK rate (£14,777 for 2018/19) for three years. The successful applicant will commence in October 2019 under the supervision of Dr Sarah Marley (University of Portsmouth), Professor Alex Ford (University of Portsmouth), and Ms Lucy Babey (ORCA). Requirements: - BSc (minimum second-class or equivalent) or a Masters degree in a relevant subject - English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 (with no component score below 6.0) The following would also be advantageous: - Previous field experience, including vessel-based surveys, behavioural observations, and marine mammal observation - Proficiency in R and GIS software - Strong background in statistical techniques The deadline for applications is 17th February 2019. To apply, please refer to the FindAPhD advert listed above. For more information, please contact Dr Sarah Marley (sarah.mar...@port.ac.uk). All the best, Sarah *Dr Sarah Marley * PhD Applied Physics *| *MRes Marine Mammal Science *| *BSc Zoology (Hons.) Lecturer in Marine Vertebrate Zoology* |* University of Portsmouth Blog Editor *|* Journal of Animal Ecology Associate Editor *|* Austral Ecology *Email: *sarah.marle...@gmail.com *| Twitter: *@sarahmarley86 <https://twitter.com/sarahmarley86> *| **Web:* www.sarahmarley.com *Recent Papers* Behavioural and acoustical responses of dolphins to vessel traffic and underwater noise (2017) <https://goo.gl/GXmcin> Acoustic characteristics of urban vs pristine dolphin habitats (2017) <https://goo.gl/ecFrE8> Spatial and temporal variation in dolphin acoustic habitats (2017) <https://goo.gl/nxFn1V> Diversity and variation in fish choruses (2016) <https://goo.gl/32edkU>
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