Interdisciplinary PhD in animal behavioral ecology, collective behavior, and wildlife conservation with drone-based tracking University of Konstanz in Germany

Interdisciplinary PhD opportunity in animal behavioral ecology, collective behavior, wildlife conservation, and data-driven ecology at the University of Konstanz, within the EU-funded WildBotics Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral Network.

The project (DC9) focuses on using drone-based tracking, field studies, and analysis of large behavioral and fecal datasets to study the collective behavior of African elephants and/or mixed-species groups of ungulate herbivores in Kenya. The candidate will work under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Iain Couzin in collaboration with Dr. Blair Costelloe, and will interact with other WildBotics doctoral candidates developing robotics and computer science tools for conservation.

The position sits within Theme 3 of WildBotics: analysis of large, sample-based datasets for wildlife ecology and biodiversity conservation. The successful candidate will collaborate with partners such as the Kenya Wildlife Research and Training Institute and the Mara Elephant Project, and will participate in network-wide meetings, training events, field trips, and secondments across Europe and Africa.

Funding: the doctoral network provides a salary plus support for research and training expenses. The candidate may also enroll in the International Max Planck Research School for Quantitative Behavior, Ecology & Evolution (IMPRS-QBEE).

Eligibility highlights: applicants should have strong research potential and interest in animal behavioral ecology, collective dynamics, disease ecology, wildlife conservation, or related areas. Quantitative skills, programming, and experience with large datasets are advantageous. Fieldwork in Kenya is required. Applicants must be Early-Stage Researchers under MSCA-DN rules and comply with the MSCA mobility rule. English proficiency is required; German is not required.

Application deadline: 21 June 2026. Apply by email to Katja Anderson with the requested documents and use the subject line “WildBotics DC09 application”.