Dear all, I am advertising a fully funded PhD position (DC10) within the ‘WildBotics – Autonomous Sampling with Robotics in the Wild for Nature Conservation’, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network project. The specific project is part of Theme 3 (WP3): Analysis of large, sample-based datasets for wildlife ecology & biodiversity conservation and will be hosted and enrolled at Aarhus University (Risø campus), Denmark, in collaboration with the University of Southern Denmark (Prof. Ulrik Pagh Schultz Lundquist) and the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources (Prof. Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen). This PhD will develop and test a drone-based system for collecting skin and blubber samples from large whales, with a focus on bowhead whales in West Greenland. The approach aims to provide a less invasive alternative to current biopsy methods, enabling sampling of more elusive individuals and, where relevant, sampling from land. The system will be engineered at the University of Southern Denmark, in close collaboration with the PhD student, who will carry out extensive testing and ultimately field deployments. The project will therefore interface closely with technical developments from Themes 1 and 2 within WildBotics and contribute datasets for evaluating and training new robotic and analytical tools. Using the newly developed system, the PhD will collect tissue samples from bowhead whales (and potentially other species) to address questions related to nutritional status, body condition, bioenergetics, and prey consumption, contributing to the broader ecological objectives of Theme 3. While the first chapter of the PhD will focus on system development and validation, chapters 2 and 3 will address ecological questions that can be answered using these samples (e.g. pregnancy detection, sex-specific variation in prey consumption). We are therefore seeking an ecologist with a strong interest in working at the interface between ecology and engineering. Applicants should have a strong background or interest in ecology, physiology, and bioenergetics, and ideally ecological modelling. Experience with fieldwork, drones, data analysis, or programming (e.g. R) is advantageous but not essential. How to apply Applications must be submitted via the WildBotics recruitment portal: https://www.wildbotics.eu/recruitment<https://www.wildbotics.eu/recruitment?utm_source=chatgpt.com> The website provides full details on eligibility, required documents, and deadlines. Interested candidates are very welcome to contact me informally to discuss the project before applying. Application deadline: 7 January, 23:59 CET Dr Fredrik Christiansen Senior Researcher Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience Aarhus University Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark E-mail: f.christiansen@ecos.au.dk | Tel: +45 3133 2367 ResearcherID: O-3655-2017 ORCID: 0000-0001-9090-8458 Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=vkA5Y3EAAAAJ ResearchGate: http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Fredrik_Christiansen3