Tirocinio per il rilievo di formiche nell’ambito del progetto MonitAnt di Biodiversa+ in Alto Adige

Bozen/Bolzano Internship

Institute for Alpine Environment

The Institute for Alpine Environment performs problem-oriented research of mountain environments in the fields of landscape ecology, global change, biodiversity, ecosystem services and sustainable development. The project “Developing a European-level Monitoring strategy for mound-building Formica Ants and symbiont communities residing in nest mounds” (short MonitAnt) is looking for applications for an intern position.

Knowledge of European ant fauna and/or myrmecophiles are the ideal skills for candidates. However, do not hesitate to apply if you are fascinated by ants and like to get to know them better. The investigation area will be the whole region of South Tyrol (IT), the working location is Bolzano/Bozen.

MonitAnt is a new joint European project with the aim to both develop a new monitoring for redwood ants and perform basic research intended to provide a scientific base for the conservation of this iconic ecosystem engineer. These ants, their nests and myrmecophiles are sampled from low-elevation forests to alpine sites distributed over the entire province of South Tyrol (7400 km²). The selected candidate will also be involved in other biodiversity projects running at the institute.

Tasks:

• Support in ant nest surveys for the season 2025.
• Support in digitalization and management of field data.
• Support in the sorting and material organization in the lab.
• Eventually, also support fieldwork for other projects, e.g. installing pitfall traps, collecting soil samples and supporting colleagues on the survey of other taxa.
• Supporting with lab work, e.g., sample processing, identification and storage; presorting of invertebrate samples also of other projects and taxa.

Requirements:

• Bachelor/master’s degree in biology or Environmental Sciences (or similar; degree obtained not more than one year ago).
• Interest in ant biology and ecology is advantageous.
• Willingness and availability to work outdoors also in alpine areas.
• Good faunistic knowledge and identification skills for arthropods groups (ants, spiders, beetles).
• Experiences in biodiversity monitoring programs is advantageous.
• Good English skills, additional skills in German and Italian are advantageous.
• Good interpersonal and collaborative skills to integrate in a working group.
• Efficient organization skills.

We offer:

• Internship contract for 3 to 7 months (beginning May 2024)
• Opportunity to include the gained data in a master thesis
• State-of-the-art technical facilities (soft- and hardware, communication tools)
• Opportunity to work in a young interdisciplinary team
• Physically demanding fieldwork in astonishing landscapes
• Attractive living and working conditions (Great Place to Work)

How to apply:

Interested candidates should submit their application (CV, cover letter and further relevant documents) within 07.01.2025.