Dear MARMAM Community, We are seeking two full-time volunteer research assistants for the Dolphin Alliance Project’s (http://www.sharkbaydolphins.org/) forthcoming field season in Shark Bay, Western Australia, a remote World Heritage Area. Specifically, you will assist one of two PhD students. Both assistants are needed from August/September through November (13 – 17 weeks). One project, running from May through August, investigates thedevelopment of alliance behaviour and juvenile males’ social bonds. The other project, running from August through November, investigates the effects of habitat configuration and acoustic detection range on male alliance behaviour. Fieldwork is based at the Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort in the eastern gulf of Shark Bay. You will assist with boat-based surveys, and the collection of photo-ID, behavioural, acoustic, genetic, and ecological data from the resident dolphins and their environment. Assistants should be adaptable and patient, as our fieldwork schedule is highly weather dependent: when the weather permits, we will work long hours on the water and on consecutive days; when the weather does not permit fieldwork, we will be working on photo-matching and processing, data entry, and our long-term database. The effort is well worth it, as you will gain insight into the behaviour of an incredible population of dolphins that form multi-level alliances, and those that exhibit foraging specialisations (including sponging tool-use), as well as a diverse array of other wildlife (e.g. sharks, rays, turtles, dugongs). We seek dedicated, hard-working individuals with the willingness and ability to acquire new skills, as well as work diligently on routine tasks. As we live and work closely in small teams for extended periods, we need easy-going, team players who maintain a mature and positive attitude. Prior field experience with cetaceans, including familiarity with conducting photo-ID and the handling of small (<6m) boats are highly desirable qualities. Please note that these are volunteer positions. You will need to make your own way to Shark Bay, but food and shared accommodation (in the Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort backpackers) on-site are covered. Only those who can commit to the entire field season will be considered. Applicants should send a CV (max 3 pages), including contact details of two referees, and a short (max 1 page) cover letter in a single PDF to Kathryn Holmes (kathryn.holmes@research.uwa.edu.au) and Pernille Sørensen ( pernille.sorensen@bristol.ac.uk). The application deadline is Friday, 8th of March 2019. Best wishes, Kathryn and Pernille ------------------------------------------ Kathryn Holmes, PhD Candidate School of Biological Sciences University of Western Australia Crawley WA 6009 Email: kathryn.holmes@research.uwa.edu.au Pernille Meyer Sørensen, PhD Candidate School of Biological Sciences Life Sciences Building | 24 Tyndall Avenue University of Bristol | Bristol BS8 1TQ | U.K. Email: pernille.sorensen@bristol.ac.uk