East Cameroon (PK)
Postdoctoral Field Manager
Quantifying Hamilton's rule in the wild
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ERC-funded postdoc
Overview
An ERC-funded postdoc position is available in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Bristol (PI: Dr Patrick Kennedy, in collaboration with Professor Dustin Rubenstein, Columbia University). You will coordinate an international field team spanning three African countries (Cameroon, Kenya, and South Africa), investigating the evolution of cooperation and conflict by running field experiments with social wasps across Africa.
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What will you be doing?
A core responsibility of the Postdoctoral Field Manager will be training and liaising with local fieldworkers and students, involving regular travel across the three countries. Working in the field alongside other postdocs, PhD students, a lab technician, and in-country field teams, you will collect field data on costs and benefits of cooperation in a powerful wild system.
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You will pursue an ambitious work package focused on quantifying the benefits and costs of cooperation in the wild along environmental gradients. Working with the cooperatively breeding wasp Belonogaster juncea, you will establish parallel field experiments across multiple field sites, running long-term field monitoring. We anticipate the Postdoctoral Field Manager being first author on several papers resulting from this work package.
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This postdoc position is for 2 years, with the potential for a further 2 years.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for an exceptional fieldworker. You must be prepared to spend multiple months each year working with wasps in diverse habitats across Africa, with high independence, strong practical and team skills, and confidence travelling for research. Applicants without demonstrable field research experience will not be considered.
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The successful applicant will be an initiative-taking scientist with exceptional organisational and team skills and the ability to problem-solve during fieldwork.
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Essential:
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Strong experience conducting overseas fieldwork
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Capacity and enthusiasm to spend at least 6 months a year in the field. You must be prepared to travel extensively across Cameroon, Kenya, and South Africa
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Ability to manage international teams and collaborate with international partners
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High practical independence
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Ability to trouble-shoot in the field
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Confidence driving 4X4 overseas
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Excellent research record
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A PhD in a related area
Desirable:
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Conservational-level French (for Cameroon)
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Experience working in an African context
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Behavioural ecology background​​
Applicants with outstanding fieldwork experience from disciplines outside evolution, ecology, or ethology (e.g., anthropology, geography, population health, conservation biology) are welcome to apply. You will be expected to develop a strong grasp of social evolution and behavioural ecology, including inclusive fitness theory.
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When is the expected start date?
As soon as possible from 1st March 2026
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For informal queries, who should I contact?
patrick.kennedy [AT] bristol.ac.uk
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The African Wasps Project
This work is funded by an ERC Starting Grant to Dr Patrick Kennedy (University of Bristol, UK) in collaboration with Professor Dustin Rubenstein (Columbia University, USA). The African Wasps Project is a collaboration with Professor Christian Pirk (University of Pretoria, South Africa), Professor Maurice Tindo (University of Douala, Cameroon), and Professor Paul Masse (University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon).
Mpala Research Centre, Kenya (PK)
Field team in Cameroon (PK)
