I am looking for a field assistant who would be available from 10th January 2013 until mid February 2013 to help collect boat based on data on blue whales in the waters off Southern Sri Lanka. I am seeking experienced research assistants to join the existing team for my PhD field work that aims to understand the physical drivers of blue whale distribution in this area. This forms part of a larger, longer term research project on this population of blue whales. For more information on the field work conducted previously through this project (a collaboration between the University of Western Australia and Duke University, North Carolina) please see: http://bit.ly/wrvelh FIELD WORK The field work will be conducted off small boats. During the field study we will collect data on physical parameters and distribution of the blue whales to understand how physical factors influence biological factors and thus the blue whales. In addition we will collect photo-id data and acoustic data. The field work will be physically demanding as instruments are hand deployed, however, the applicant will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience conducting such field work and hopefully begin to gain an appreciation for the importance of understanding both the physics and biology of a system and working at the overlap of these two areas. RESEARCH ASSISTANTS I am seeking skilled research assistants to commence in 10th January 2013. The assistant will be involved in all aspects of the research and will be trained to use the various equipment. In addition the assistant will be required to help with other tasks such as data entry and equipment preparation. Because of the training required, applicants must be willing to commit to the project fulltime for the fieldwork period. PREREQUISITES 1. Enrolled in or completed a degree in biology, marine science, animal behaviour or a related field 2. Previous field experience on boats (particularly small boats). 3. Be patient and flexible as field work is weather dependent. There is always plenty of office work in the event we have to get off the water. Additionally, when the weather is good we work long consecutive days. 4. Be team oriented, positive and open-minded enough to enjoy the experience to its fullest. 5. Be prepared to work long days in small team of three-five people 6. Be hard working and prepared for both the physical and mental demands of field work Unfortunately, the project cannot provide assistance with travel to Sri Lanka where the field work will be conducted HOWEVER some aspects of accommodation and food expenses will be covered during the project period. PLEASE ONLY APPLY IF YOU ARE GENUINELY INTERESTED AND ABLE TO COMMIT TO THE PROJECT. If you are interested, please provide a short CV, including 2 referees (1 academic) that you are happy for me to contact, and cover letter attention of Asha de Vos (ashadevos@gmail.com) Thank you Asha --

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Asha de Vos Marine Biologist PhD Student TED Senior Fellow The University of Western Australia School of Environmental Systems Engineering The Oceans Institute Mailstop M470 35 Stirling Highway Crawley WA 6009 Australia The Subtropics Tel: +61 450 140 192 (m) Tel: +61 8 6488 8121 (o) Fax: +61 8 6488 7279 Sri Lanka The Tropics Tel: 0094 77 302 1711 http://whalessrilanka.blogspot.com