Voluntary Field Assistants Required Galapagos Islands, 17th Feb - 13th May 2009 The project is an investigation into immune system ontogeny and the differential ability of the sexes to respond to infection in the Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki). Sea lions are well suited to studies of sexual selection because they are sexually dimorphic and live in crowded conditions that can lead to high levels of pathogen-driven mortality. I'm using a combination of field challenge experiments and laboratory techniques to characterise how males and females combat infection. This research will contribute to my PhD and follows on from previous work carried out by my supervisor Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse. Two field assistants are sought to help with the sampling of sea lion pups on the Galapagos Islands of San Cristobal and Santa Fe between 17th February and 13th May 2009. We will initially tag as many pups as possible from each island. Then we will recapture tagged pups as frequently as feasible and examine body condition, carry out an eye exam and take a blood sample. This process requires three people as the pups need to be restrained, data needs to be recorded and samples need to be processed on site. Blood samples and data will be further processed in the Galapagos Genetics Epidemiology and Pathology Laboratory in the evenings. Some camping may be involved, so applicants must be comfortable working in remote environments with minimum conveniences. While food and accommodation are provided, volunteers will have to cover the cost of their flights. Good candidates will have field experience in remote locations, an interest in evolutionary biology and functional Spanish. Veterinary field and lab experience would be useful but are not required. Priority will be given to Ecuadorian applicants. If interested, please get in touch as soon as possible and to apply please include a CV and covering letter (paddy.brock@ioz.ac.uk). Paddy Brock Institute of Zoology Zoological Society of London Regent's Park London NW1 4RY Tel: 00 44 (0) 20 7449 6496 Email: paddy.brock@ioz.ac.uk http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/ioz/people/brock.htm The Zoological Society of London is incorporated by Royal Charter Principal Office England. Company Number RC000749 Registered address: Regent's Park, London, England NW1 4RY Registered Charity in England and Wales no. 208728 _________________________________________________________________________ This e-mail has been sent in confidence to the named addressee(s). If you are not the intended recipient, you must not disclose or distribute it in any form, and you are asked to contact the sender immediately. Views or opinions expressed in this communication may not be those of The Zoological Society of London and, therefore, The Zoological Society of London does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message. The recipient(s) must be aware that e-mail is not a secure communication medium and that the contents of this mail may have been altered by a third party in transit. If you have any issues regarding this mail please contact: administrator@zsl.org. ___________________________________________________________________________ This message has been scanned for viruses by MailControl, a service from BlackSpider Technologies.