Technical Assistant (m/f/d) | Animal-Environment Interactions

The Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior at its sites in Konstanz and Radolfzell offers an international, interdisciplinary, and cooperative environment that opens up unique research opportunities. The goal of our basic research is to develop a quantitative and predictive understanding of the decisions and movements of animals in their natural environment.

The Department of Animal Migration at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior seeks to fill a Technical Assistant position (m/f/d) (80 - 100%, part or full time position). The workplace will be in Constance, Germany.

Our group

We strive to unveil the inner workings of ecological and evolutionary processes in the natural world through a quantitative and predictive understanding of how the ever-changing environmental conditions impact on animals in the wild, the decisions they evolved to take, and the choices they have learned to make. Our vision is thus a quantitative understanding of how animals depend on, react to, and change their environment by studying their occurrence, distribution and foremost their movements in acknowledgment of the complexity of the evolutionary as well as ecological causes and consequences of these animal-environment interactions. In this specific project we are investigating how birds and mosquito movement contribute to the spread of the West-Nile virus. This is a European funded project, E4Warning.

Your tasks

• working as a TA in a Europen Project on West-Nile Virus looking after the field equipment
• running mosquito capture devices
• assistance in the field work, including bird capture and tagging
• setting up receiver units for SigFox IoT networks
• identifying mosquito species

Essential requirements

• state accreditation as a technical assistant or appropriate professional experience
• excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• consistency, persistence, self-motivation, patience
• good verbal and written communication skills in English
• willingness and ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• willingness to learn new skills and flexibility that field work sometimes can demand

Additional skills that would be an asset, but are not necessary

• knowledge of the German language
• foreign language knowledge, for example Spanish, would be great
• ability to drive a motor vehicle

Our offer

The position will start in as soon as possible and is limited for 2 years. We offer an interesting job in an open-minded team, a responsible and varied workplace in a growing interdisciplinary and international research institute. The payment is made in accordance with your experience and qualification and the collective agreement for the public service (TVöD-Bund).

The Max Planck Society endeavors to employ more severely disabled people. Applications of severely disabled persons are expressly welcome. The Max Planck Society strives for gender and diversity equality. We welcome applications from all backgrounds. More details.

How to apply

Are you interested? Then we are looking forward to receiving your application until June, 30 2024 via our application portal.

Questions about this position will be answered by Dr. Kamran Safi ksafi@ab.mpg.de.