The Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW), Austria’s leading non-university research and science institution, is offering a Position as
Praedoc (Diss) (f/m/x) Bioacoustics
(Part-time employee)
(Office & remote)
Your Tasks
The position is assigned to an FWF stand-alone project led by Prof. Angela Stoeger, (http://www.angelastoeger.com) on cheetah vocal communication. The project will focus on the chirping calls that are unusually high and confusingly resemble bird chirps in sound quality and structure. The chirp is used to maintain vocal contact and summon affiliated individuals. There are two intriguing aspects about the chirp: (1) it represents an upward outlier in respect to the acoustic allometric hypothesis, and (2) it is unusual for a species in an open habitat to use such a high-pitched call as contact-call.
The hypothesis we intend to test is whether the high-pitched, bird-like call represents a form of acoustic crypsis used as a defence mechanism against eavesdropping competitors, specifically lions.
To investigate this, you will conduct and analyse playback experiments with lions in Namibia and South Africa.
Responsibilities:
- Design and conduct playback experiments in Namibia and South Africa
- Conduct acoustic and video analysis
- Communication of scientific results in scientific publications and at scientific meetings.
- No teaching duties.
Your Profile
Requirements and qualifications:
- Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a discipline related behavioural/cognitive biology.
- Profound knowledge of written and oral English.
- Skills in bioacoustics, acoustic analysis and design in playback experiments.
- Extensive experience in field work in remote areas (i.e. in Southern Africa).
- Car Driving Licence
Our Offer
The position is limited to 31.03.2028 (project end). The starting date is flexible between February and March 2026. The successful candidate might be enrolled in the Vienna Doctoral School in Cognition, Behavior and Neuroscience (https://vds-cobene.univie.ac.at).
This position is part-time 75% (30h/week). The gross salary is € 39.208,79 per year (before taxes, 14 payments a year) according to the academy’s collective agreement. Candidates should send a CV, copies of relevant certificates, and a brief statement describing motivation, personal qualification, and research interests by e-mail to Angela Stoeger (angela.stoeger-horwath@oeaw.ac.at), who also can be contacted for informal inquiries and questions.
The first round of evaluation will start in the November 2025.
The Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity. Individuals from underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged to apply.
