PhD Student; m​/f​/d Oceanic Collective Intelligence

PhD Student (m/f/d) | Oceanic Collective Intelligence

Young Researchers

Radolfzell / Constance

Developmental and Evolutionary Biology & Genetics

Behavioral Sciences

Microbiology & Ecology

Job Offer from October 07, 2026

The Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior at its sites in Konstanz and Radolfzell offers an international, interdisciplinary, and collaborative environment that opens up unique research opportunities. The goal of our basic research is to develop a quantitative and predictive understanding of the decisions and movements of animals in their natural environment.

The Collective Ecology Group at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior would like to fill a PhD Student position (m/f/d) Oceanic Collective Intelligence with a flexible starting date in summer / autumn 2027. This position is full-time and fully funded for a period of 4 years. The workplace will be in Konstanz, Germany.

Our group In the Collective Ecology Group, we explore how physical and biological ecosystem variation shape animals' individual, social, and collective behaviors. In turn, we explore how animals' social lives shape the ecosystems they inhabit. We interrogate these questions across taxa and ecosystems, but with a particular focus on the biophysical and social conditions of life in Earth's largest living space: the ocean.

This research requires cooperation among networks of humans and our technologies. We reflect on how our own species' remarkable capacity for collective behavior can enable us to more effectively and equitably understand, steward, and adapt to the changing ecosystems of which we are all a part.

We are seeking a PhD student to join this collective effort, focusing in particular on questions concerning social foraging and collective behavior in two oceanic predator-prey systems: blue whales and krill; and sperm whales and their deep-sea prey.

This PhD project will be a part of the Oceanic Collective Intelligence project funded by the Carl Zeiss Stiftung Nexus Programme. The research will involve developing computational approaches to analyze, integrate, and interpret diverse, complex datasets which provide insights into the behavior of oceanic predators and prey. First, we use bio-logging devices (archival instrument suites attached to animals) to make detailed observations of predator behavior (3D movement, individual feeding events, acoustic behavior, etc.).

Second, we use echo sounders ("active" acoustic sensing) to quantify the prey resource landscape (density, abundance, and coarse taxonomic composition of prey aggregations). Finally, we leverage long-term seafloor hydrophone deployments ("passive" acoustic sensing) to quantify the social information available to predators. The PhD student will have access to existing datasets as well as the opportunity to collect additional data from these platforms in the California Current Ecosystem during the PhD.

Using these data, the successful candidate will address questions regarding when, why, and how oceanic predators (blue and/or sperm whales) produce and use social information while foraging under the unique constraints and opportunities afforded by life in the pelagic ocean.

The student will be expected to proactively develop and implement research ideas to move the project forward; thus, a high degree of independence is crucial. The ideal candidate should be enthusiastic about addressing biological questions using quantitative approaches. Prior experience with programming (e.g., in R, Python, MATLAB, etc.), scientific writing, and ecological fieldwork is desirable. Given the highly collaborative nature of our research group and this project, interest in and capacity for international, interdisciplinary collaboration is valued.

Our research group also values community outreach and exchange, so enthusiasm for broader science communication is appreciated.

This call is open to candidates who have completed a M.Sc. in the natural sciences (e.g., ecology and evolutionary biology, oceanography, physics, or another related field) or mathematics. The working language of the institute is English (German language skills are not a requirement).

The candidate will join the Collective Ecology Group within the Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, with a start date of summer / autumn 2027. Elements of this project will be conducted in collaboration with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and Cascadia Research Collective. The…