PhD student position (m/f/d) for chimpanzees project

The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, asks one of the most fundamental questions in science and life: What does it mean to be human? The Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology at the MPI EVA combines developmental, cross-cultural, and comparative psychology approaches to study the fundamental architecture of human and non-human cognition.

We are looking for a PhD Student (m/f/d) for a doctoral project focusing on the cognitive foundations of cumulative cultural evolution in chimpanzees. The successful applicant will be funded for three years (extension up to five years is possible), ideally starting January 1^st 2025.

Your project

The aim of this PhD project is to test whether chimpanzees have the capability and motivation to develop cumulative cultures – the process in which cultural innovations incrementally shape cultural expressions such that they become better suited for their envisioned purpose. You will study chimpanzees’ potential to create and maintain cumulatively established cultures by means of targeted experimental assays. Moreover, you will investigate whether chimpanzees’ social network properties are predictive of their potential to develop cumulative cultures with behavioural observations and network analyses.

You will be hosted in the Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, led by Daniel Haun. The CCP Department focuses on uniquely human cultural diversity and the universal cognitive mechanisms that enable and constrain it. You will be embedded in this team Leipzig, and co-supervised by Edwin van Leeuwen, head of the Primate Culture Origins Group at Utrecht University, and Josep Call, Professor in Evolutionary Origins of Mind, University of St. Andrews.

You will conduct a series of studies investigating the cognitive foundations of cumulative cultural evolution in humans’ closest living relatives. The project will be a combination of behavioural studies with chimpanzees in group settings at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust (CWOT) in Zambia. Furthermore, there are possibilities to conduct research at the Wolfgang Köhler Primate Research Center in Germany, and the Budongo Research Unit in Edinburgh Zoo. Lastly, there is room to extend research efforts to bonobos. Your project will involve periodic fieldwork (approx. 3-4 months/year) at the CWOT in Zambia. Finally, your project will be a collaborative project involving coordinated contributions from 3 PhD students (see parallel ad at Utrecht University).

What we expect

Most importantly, we are looking for cooperative and social students who are eager to learn from and work within an international research team on the topic of chimpanzee culture.

What we offer

Candidates of all nationalities are invited to apply. The Max Planck Society and the Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology are committed to equal opportunities and encourage applications from individuals with disabilities and those typically underrepresented in science fields, such as women and minorities.

If you are interested in applying for the position, we are looking forward to receiving your digital application by August 15^th, 2024. This application should contain the following information:

Only complete submissions via the our application online system will be taken into consideration.

We look forward to receiving your application.