AbuDhabi_UAE.Reneco.ResearcherHoubaraTelomeresMovement

Contract Researcher (2 years):
Telomere dynamics, phenotypic traits and post-release survival of wild-sourced and captive-origin houbara bustards Reneco International Wildlife Consultants, Abu Dhabi, UAE (in-person at Abu Dhabi HQ or fully remote)
BACKGROUNDWild populations of the African houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata undulata) have declined under the combined pressure of habitat degradation, poaching and unregulated hunting, and the species is currently listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Conservation breeding and release have become a central management tool: birds are produced in captivity and released to reinforce wild populations. The long-term success of this approach rests on continuous scientific effort and adeep understanding of the species' ecology, physiology, reproduction and behaviour.

This project focuses on the development and survival of captive-bred and wild-sourced birds after release, building on growing evidence that telomere dynamics play a crucial role in individual health and performance.

ABOUT RENECOReneco International Wildlife Consultants LTD was founded in 1986 to build a global conservation programme for the restoration of desert species and their habitats. In 1995, Reneco was entrusted with establishing the Emirates Center for Wildlife Propagation in Morocco, and the effort to restore houbara populations has since grown into one of the largest single-species conservation programmes. Our research covers reproductive biology, genetics, veterinary science, ecology and animal behaviour, combining laboratory and field capacity with long-term individual monitoring of released birds.

POSITION FOCUSThe selected Researcher will lead the integrative analysis and publication of a unique, fully collected dataset. This individual-based dataset follows wild-sourced and captive-origin houbara bustards from hatching through their first year post-release, and combines repeated relative telomere length (qPCR), growth and body mass records, mortality and morbidity data, personality assays, pre-release feather cortisol levels, and post-release GPS and accelerometry tracking.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES Data management and integration
- Consolidate and clean all datasets (telomere measures at multiple ages, growth, sex and pedigree, personality, feather corticosterone, GPS and accelerometry, survival).

- Develop a coherent database structure and ensure robust individual matching across aviaries, rings, transmitters and sampling time Behaviour and personality assessment
- Process Flight Initiation Distance (FID) scores and other personality-related measures to derive quantitative behavioural
- Evaluate behavioural consistency, differences by origin (wild vs captive), and links between personality and stress indicators.

- Integrate behavioural traits into models of dispersal and survival, accounting for sex, origin and developmental history.

Movement and survival analysis
- Analyse GPS tracks and accelerometry data to quantify dispersal movements, habitat use, activity patterns and post-release
- Implement appropriate movement and survival modelling frameworks to assess differences between wild and captive-origin individuals.

- Test hypotheses about the role of early-life conditions, personality and stress physiology in shaping post-release

Telomere and stress physiology integration
- Combine telomere length and attrition data with growth, origin, personality and movement/survival metrics to evaluate the predictive value of telomeres for post-release success.

- Explore associations between corticosterone metabolites and telomere dynamics, personality and movement behaviour.

- Lead statistical modelling to identify key predictors of fitness-related outcomes and generate conservation-relevant

Sci…