PhD student in 'Annual cycle energetics of migratory birds
Swiss Ornithological Institute
The Swiss Ornithological Institute is a non-profit foundation dedicated to ornithology and the protection of birds. It monitors native birds, researches their way of life and advocates for threatened species. It looks after injured and orphaned birds, provides information and advice to the public, and runs a visitor center in Sempach. The Swiss Ornithological Institute currently has over 200 employees in all parts of the country.
The project you will be working on is situated within the Bird Migration Unit, which investigates diverse aspects of bird migration using a wide range of approaches, including individual tracking, radar ornithology, and genomics. The project aims to uncover the energetic trade-offs of migratory landbirds across their full annual cycle and to compare these trade-offs among species and individuals exhibiting different migration strategies
We are looking for the following person from 1st of June 2026 or upon agreement,
PhD student (100%) in "Annual cycle energetics of migratory birds"
Your tasks
As part of this collaborative research project aided by the COST Action EUFLYNET member network (https://www.euflynet.eu), you will study energy expenditure of migratory birds throughout their annual cycle based on individual tracking with multi-sensor geolocators. Using multiple species comprising long- and short-distance migrants, partial migrants, and residents, the project aims to quantify the daily energy expenditure of landbirds to uncover the energetic trade-offs and bottlenecks associated with different migration strategies. Furthermore, the project aims to model past and future energy expenditure of migratory landbirds with different migrations to predict how the energy landscape and migration patterns may shift in the face of the ongoing climate change.
Your main duties include:
• Analyse readily available and new multi-sensor geolocator data to infer migration
trajectories of individual birds of multiple species.
• Conduct fieldwork and aid project collaborators at various places across Europe to gather
geolocator tracking data of individual birds.
• Model annual energy expenditure of the tracked birds at different temporal scale based on
locomotion, thermoregulation, basal metabolism, and tissue synthesis.
• Work with past climatic data and future climate models to establish environmental
influences on optimal bird migration strategies from an energetic perspective.
• Present at international conferences and publish your findings in international scientific
journals.
Your profile
- MSc in biology, movement ecology, animal physiology, or related discipline.
- Keen interest in bird migration ecology and evolution.
- Proven record of scientific writing.
- Fieldwork experience with wild animals, preferably birds.
- Background in statistical analyses and programming, preferable R.
- Working language is English, although knowledge of German is a plus.
We offer
We offer a diverse position with a lot of responsibilities in a diversified work environment. Furthermore, we offer family-friendly and flexible working times, good opportunities for further education and exemplary social benefits. The PhD position is limited to 4 years. Working place is Sempach.
Are you interested?
The Swiss Ornithological Institutes values diversity of staff. We therefore consider all qualified applications. Further information can be provided by Martins Briedis, project leader and main supervisor, Paul Dufour, co-supervisor. We are looking forward to your application (motivation letter, CV, certificates) in a single PDF document submitted over our application portal on our website by latest 20.02.2026. Other applications cannot be considered. Interviews are scheduled by invitation for 9 and 11 March 2026.