Careers Job Description
General Description
The Comparative Cognition for Conservation (CCC) Lab in the Department of Psychology at Hunter College, City University of New York is seeking applicants for a postdoctoral position based in New York, NY. The postdoctoral research associate will be required to spend at least 50% per annum in Thailand at the lab’s elephant behavior research sites, and the rest of the time in New York.
The postdoctoral researcher will work on a funded project entitled “Individual and collective intelligence in elephants: a test of reasoning in a socially unique mammal”. This project is focused on the implementation of several experiments with captive and wild elephants in Thailand at the Lab’s field sites aimed at understanding the problem-solving, tool use and collective intelligence capacities of Asian elephants. While the experiments are already developed, the postdoctoral researcher will be expected to: contribute substantially to the implementation of the experiments in the field and data collection, run analyses and draft manuscripts for publication based on this funded project. The postdoctoral researcher will also be expected to work with graduate and undergraduate students in the lab, and with Thai research staff and academic, veterinary and government collaborators in Thailand. There may also be opportunities to develop additional research projects in collaboration with the lab’s principal investigator (the researcher’s supervisor), Dr. Joshua Plotnik. There are no teaching responsibilities associated with the position.
Start date: The start date of the position may be as early as February 1, 2023 (but this date is negotiable). The postdoctoral fellow will be initially appointed for a 1-year term. The position may be renewable for another 1-year based on performance.
Application instructions: To apply for this position, please submit a 1-2-page cover letter describing your interest in the position and your qualifications, as well as an updated CV. Please also include the contact information for (2) potential letter of recommendation writers. They will only be contacted if you are invited for a virtual interview.
Applications for this position will be reviewed beginning November 15, 2022. The position will remain open until filled. Applicants will be contacted for interviews beginning no later than December 5, 2022, and will continue on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Applications MUST be submitted through the Research Foundation of CUNY Job Openings portal. Any questions about the position may be directed to the CCC Lab PI, Dr. Joshua Plotnik (Joshua.Plotnik@hunter.cuny.edu).
We encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups in science, including people with disabilities, people of color, veterans, and women.
Please visit RFCUNY.org for information on employee benefits.
The Research Foundation of the City University of New York is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Americans with Disabilities Act/Protected Veterans Status/ E-Verify Employer.
Other Duties
Qualifications
Qualifications
- A Ph.D. in Psychology, Animal Behavior and/or Cognition, Cognitive Sciences, Conservation Biology, or a relevant field
- Experience conducting field research independently and in rough terrain
- Experience developing and executing cognitive research with non-human animals
- Experience using statistical approaches (e.g., mixed modeling) relevant to animal cognition research designs.
- A record of publications and collaborations relevant to research on animal cognition, and experience conducting research internationally
- An ability to work independently in the field without direct supervision, as well as collaboratively with faculty and students in the laboratory
RFCUNY Benefits
RFCUNY Employee Benefits and AccrualsAbout the Research Foundation
The Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY) is a nonprofit educational corporation founded in 1963 to provide post-award fiscal and administrative support for CUNY’s research and sponsored programs. RFCUNY’s services allow CUNY researchers, faculty, and staff to focus on their intellectual curiosity and scientific discoveries, on projects and programs that serve our local and global communities, proposing concrete solutions to society’s most pressing challenges.
RFCUNY serves as a fiscal agent and works closely with all the CUNY campus Grants Offices to perform the core functions of post-award financial management for CUNY research projects and sponsored programs. These functions include legal assessment and signing of agreements where RFCUNY is named as a fiscal agent; setting up award accounts; preparing sub-awards and assisting PIs in monitoring the work of the recipients of sub-awards; supporting project directors with hiring and managing research project and sponsored program staff; supporting the purchasing and paying for goods and services with grant and program funds; managing financial aspects of projects including accounts receivable, financial reporting, invoicing, budget monitoring, and cost compliance with uniform guidance; ensuring that sponsor financial requirements are met; monitoring compliance with applicable project and financial management rules and laws; supporting the management of independent and external audits and financial reviews; and providing data, information, management expertise, and other supports to CUNY’s research and sponsored programs.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Key Features
Psychology
Full Time
$55,000.00 - $55,000.00
Apr 21, 2023 (Or Until Filled)