We are looking for an intern field assistant to join us studying wasps in Pretoria in December 2024 and January 2025

Are you a recently-completed or current undergraduate student in biology based in Pretoria/Johannesburg? We are looking for a field assistant to join us in December 2024 and January 2025. 

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Join our lab for the South African summer of 2024!

In collaboration between the University of Pretoria, we are studying the common African paper wasp Belonogaster juncea, from late December to early February. We are looking for an enthusiastic field assistant with an interest in insects. Experience with fieldwork is useful but not essential, and we will help you acquire all the necessary skills. 

 

In this project we try to tackle a big biological question – How does climate impact the evolution of social behaviour? – and our South African wasps are the perfect study system to explore this. The project will be conducted in Pretoria and the surrounding rural area. We will first observe behaviour of wasp nests in the wild, and then perform a field experiment.

 

We will provide training, equipment, and lunch.

 

Interested candidates can send a short paragraph explaining your interest and suitability to teun.dejong@bristol.ac.uk