NERC-funded postdoc

Overview

A postdoc position is available in the Social Strategy Lab in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Bristol.

Working across Africa, you will investigate the evolution of behavioural castes in the social insects (‘queens’ and ‘workers’). You will run field experiments with social wasps in three African countries: Cameroon, Kenya, and South Africa. You will join an international team of postdocs, PhD students, and local field assistants, and combine a diverse range of techniques – including behavioural experiments in the field, CT scanning, and bioinformatics.

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This position is funded by a NERC-NSF Pushing the Frontiers grant to Dr Patrick Kennedy (University of Bristol, UK) and 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).

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What will you be doing?

You will work in Cameroon, Kenya, and South Africa to understand how the evolution of castes is shaped by climate. You will conduct field sampling across environmental gradients, and analyse diverse datasets including transcriptomes, behavioural footage, and CT scans. We anticipate the Postdoctoral Research Associate being first author on resulting papers.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for a biologist with good all-round skills. You should be confident travelling and conducting fieldwork across remote locations, and prepared to analyse diverse data strands.

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The essential requirements are:

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1. Experience conducting overseas research fieldwork

2. Demonstrable capacity, enthusiasm, and commitment to spend at least 3 months a year in the field. You must be prepared to travel extensively across three African countries (Cameroon, Kenya, and South Africa)

3. Ability to work as part of an international field team and collaborate closely with partners from multiple international institutions

4. High practical independence

5. Strong abilities to trouble-shoot in the field

6. Confidence driving overseas, including 4X4 vehicles

7. Excellent research record

8. PhD in a related field

The desirable requirements are:

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1. Ability to speak French to a conversational level, as you will be working with Cameroonian colleagues and engaging with local communities and government officials

2. Prior experience working in an African context

3. Academic background in behavioural ecology

4. Experience working in challenging environments

5. Experience analysing bioinformatics datasets​

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Applicants with outstanding fieldwork experience coming from disciplines outside evolution, ecology, or animal behaviour (e.g., anthropology, geography, population health, conservation biology) are welcome to apply, although experience with bioinformatics datasets is an advantage. 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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