Post-Doctoral Research Associate: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology - UTK

University of Tennessee•Knoxville, TN

3d•$60,000 - $62,000•Onsite

About The Position

This NSF-funded project examines choice overload, a phenomenon in which decision-makers become overwhelmed by the number or complexity of available options, resulting in suboptimal decisions, delayed decisions, or failure to choose at all. The project will investigate three proposed drivers of choice overload: decision task difficulty, assortment complexity, and preference uncertainty. Using bumblebees as an experimental system, the postdoctoral researcher will conduct behavioral experiments that test how nectar rewards and other biologically relevant floral traits influence foraging decisions and decision quality. The successful candidate will work closely with Dr. Claire Hemingway and project collaborators while contributing to experimental design, data collection, quantitative analyses, and dissemination of findings. This work is expected to advance understanding of animal decision making, behavioral ecology, cognition, and pollinator biology.

Requirements

Ph.D. in a relevant field (e.g., Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Animal Behavior, Cognitive Science, or related discipline).
Experience conducting behavioral experiments.
Experience with quantitative analyses.
Ability to work closely with a supervisor and collaborators.
Strong communication skills for dissemination of findings.

Nice To Haves

Experience with bumblebees as an experimental system.
Experience with research funded by the NSF.

Responsibilities

Conduct behavioral experiments using bumblebees to test how nectar rewards and other biologically relevant floral traits influence foraging decisions and decision quality.
Contribute to experimental design.
Contribute to data collection.
Contribute to quantitative analyses.
Contribute to dissemination of findings.