Prospective students

Our friendly and supportive research group creates an atmosphere conducive to research excellence.

If you are interested in conducting a PhD, Masters or Honours research project or volunteering with the Behavioural Ecology & Conservation Research Group, please contact Associate Professor Peter Banks at:

Projects

Urban ecology of an endangered bandicoot population

A PhD Candidate is sought for a field-based project on the ecology of an endangered population of long nosed bandicoots at North Head, Manly.

Remnant urban wildlife needs new conservation solutions if they are to resist the increasing encroachment of urbanization and have a future in the urban mosaic. This project will test three theories on how the endangered population of long-nosed bandicoots in Manly, NSW makes use of the urban areas adjacent to its National Park sanctuary - the ultimate aim is to have the urban landscape increase the bandicoots effective population size and reduce its extinctions risk.

The project will make use of 12 years of bandicoot monitoring data to understand spatial and temporal patterns in bandicoot demography. It will involve new surveys that involve the local community at multiple levels of data collection (surveys, camera trapping and radio-tracking) to develop a deep stake holding in the fate of urban bandicoots. Community perceptions of bandicoots are also influenced by what bandicoots do (positive and negative) in urban areas so the project will also experimentally examine the functional role that bandicoots play in urban ecosystems.

This project represents a novel approach for community based- science driven conservation to improve the management of small populations of urban wildlife. The project partners are Manly Council and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service who are proving financial and in-kind support for the research and will play a key role in the direction of the project.

This project is only open to Australian and New Zealand citizens or Australian permanent residents who are eligible to receive an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) and are also expected to have (or expecting to obtain) 1st class Honours (or equivalent ranking). The financial support for the research costs of the project is for up to 3.5 years.

If you are interested in this project please contact A/Prof Peter Banks () for more information

The closing date for applications is the 30 May 2012 for commencement in Session 2, 2012.