Doctoral position on social effects on animal microbiomes (m­­/­­f­­/­­d)

1. Analyzing behavioral observations and gut microbiome sequences from the Amboseli Baboon Research Project, a long-term field study on the behavior and ecology of yellow baboons, to ask how social bonds predict the diversity and stability of the microbiome over time. Visits to the Kenyan field site of the ABRP are a possibility depending on the interests of the candidate. 2. Compiling and analyzing publicly available microbiome datasets across mammalian species to ask how microbiome composition is shaped by dimensions of sociality such as group size, dispersal patterns, mating systems, and parental care. 3. Collaborating with researchers working on other mammalian systems to generate new microbiome sequence datasets to expand the scope of analyses described in (2).