paleonet Mammal Paleoecology Post-Doc Wanted

["N. MacLeod" <N.MacLeod@xxxxxxxxx>]

Post-Doctoral Position in Mammalian Paleoecology:  The Human Origins and
Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems Programs at the National Museum of
Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, are seeking a Ph.D. researcher
with experience in mammalian paleontology and quantitative approaches to
faunal analysis who will contribute to the NSF-sponsored project,
³Environmental Dynamics and the Evolution of Human Adaptability"
(BCS-0218511) (2002-2008).   This individual will be expected to: 1) assess
existing functional/ecomorphic information (e.g., relating to diet, body
size, locomotion) in the Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems (ETE) database,
2) capture new ecomorphological data for Pliocene and Pleistocene mammals of
Africa and China, 3) analyze ecological trends in the mammalian record of
Africa and China, 4) contribute to the NSF project database, which will
provide access to geological, paleontological, archeological, and
paleoecological data from paleoanthropological sites, 5) integrate
ecomorphological data with paleoanthropological and paleoenvironmental data
to develop and test hypotheses regarding environmental change and human
evolution.  Compilation and comparison of ecomorphic and taxonomic data for
mammalian faunas of African and Chinese late Pliocene and Pleistocene sites
will generate through-time ecomorphic trends that can be integrated with the
record of human evolution and adaptation as well as independent evidence for
local, regional and continental climate change at temporal scales from
104-106 yrs.
 
This position is initially for 2 years, starting in September, 2005. Prior
experience in paleoanthropological research in Africa or China is desirable
but not essential.  Applicants should send a current CurriculumVitae and a
letter of interest describing their qualifications for the position and how
their current research goals relate to the project to: Anna K. Behrensmeyer
(behrensa@si.edu) or Richard Potts (pottsr@si.edu) by April 15, 2005.