Katharine B. Payne Fellows Program in Conservation Bioacoustics – Central Africa

Thank you to all applicants! Keep an eye out for our next round of Fellows.
Application Deadline: 14 February 2024

Overview

The K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics (Yang Center), based at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York, is a recognized leader in bioacoustics, the science of gathering, analyzing, and interpreting sounds in nature for conservation, monitoring, and research. 

To support the implementation of conservation bioacoustics globally, the Yang Center invites candidates to apply for the the Katharine B. Payne Fellows Program in Conservation Bioacoustics. The fellowship is named in honor of Katharine B. (Katy) Payne, a pioneer in the study of animal sounds and a passionate conservationist. Katy’s discoveries about the songs of humpback whales, and later about the infrasonic communication systems of elephants, transformed our understanding of communication in socially complex animals. Her insight that sound could provide a non-invasive way of studying wildlife in tropical forests was central to laying the foundation for the new field of conservation bioacoustics.

The Payne Fellowship will provide support to individuals who are engaged in conservation bioacoustics and wish to help teach and mentor others to advance the accessibility and utility of conservation bioacoustics. Payne Fellows will receive individualized training from Yang Center staff, participate in training and mentoring others, and have opportunities to expand their networks for personal and professional growth.

An advanced university degree, such as a Ph.D., is not required for participation in this program, and we encourage applications from people of diverse backgrounds, regardless of current career stage, including individuals working for governments, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions, among others.

Description of the fellowship

Payne Fellows will be expected to contribute to conservation bioacoustics through their own work and through their involvement with the Yang Center’s and the Wildlife Conservation Society’s PAM Training Programs at the Bioacoustics Training and Analysis Center in the Republic of Congo. The selected applicant will contribute to the Yang Center’s training and mentorship efforts in Central Africa by working with Yang Center staff to develop written and audio-visual training materials that are customized to the region and can be used for programs taught by the fellows or others in the region. In addition, the fellows will assist with instruction and mentorship to participants of the Training Programs at the Bioacoustics Training and Analysis Center in the Republic of Congo.

Beyond contributions to regional education, the successful applicant will have flexibility to dedicate 50% of their fellowship time to additional research and/or outreach activities targeted to audiences in Central Africa. Possible activities include, but are not limited to, advancing research goals in the field of conservation bioacoustics, developing additional resources for teaching and training, or working on a community engagement or public outreach initiative related to conservation bioacoustics. Payne Fellows will have the additional opportunity to audit part or all of the “Introduction to Conservation Bioacoustics” course at Cornell University (August to December).Payne Fellows will spend a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 6 months at the Yang Center in Ithaca, NY, USA. During this time, the successful applicant will work full-time with both the Capacity Building Team and the Elephant Listening Project at the Yang Center. To facilitate this collaboration, we suggest that fellows plan their visit between March and December to take advantage of the period of the year when staff at the center have more flexibility. We recognize that the duration and timing of the fellowship period may present a constraint for some applicants and are happy to discuss modifications to facilitate participation. Financial support in compliance with minimum visa requirements will be provided for the duration of the fellowship (https://international.globallearning.cornell.edu/host-departments/sponsor-j-1-exchange-visitors).

Benefits of the fellowship

Financial support will be provided for the time when the fellow is part of the Payne Fellows program, including a stipend, travel, and living costs. Costs for the visa application and health insurance will also be covered. If needed, we will endeavor to provide travel support for accompanying family members.

Required qualifications
  • Strong motivation to learn and contribute to the field of conservation bioacoustics. Previous experience with passive acoustic monitoring is required (e.g. participating in projects where species were identified based on their sounds, auditory monitoring, use of directional recordings, creating audio libraries, implementing conservation projects, etc.)
  • Desire to teach and share conservation bioacoustic methods in support of conservation.
  • Spoken and written proficiency in English and French.
  • An undergraduate degree is required, a Ph.D. degree is desirable but not a requirement.
  • Applicant has organizational support (e.g. through a university, governmental or non-governmental organization to engage in the fellowship and to utilize acquired skills and material after completion of the fellowship)
  • Applicant must be a citizens and legal permanent residents of a Central or West African country, including Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone.

Preferred qualifications
  • Previous mentorship or teaching experience, with a strong preference for applicants who have a clear and achievable plan to continue training and mentoring others in conservation bioacoustics after the conclusion of the fellowship. Please note that we support and encourage all types of training and mentoring, whether conducted through an academic institution, government or non-government groups, or other organizations, and including short courses, workshops, seminars, and informal mentorship.

Application process

The application submission is via this website. The application is submitted after applicants fill out all the fields in the two sections of this form. The first section contains fields to include the applicant’s resume information. The second section contains questions that will be evaluated by a committee composed of researchers from the Yang Center and collaborators in Central Africa. The evaluation criteria for each question are described below the questions.

Thank you to all applicants! Keep an eye out for our next round of Fellows. Please submit your application by 14 February 2024,  23:59 your local time.

For any questions about the program, application process, or financial support, please contact Larissa Sugai (lsugai@cornell.edu) and Daniela Hedwig (dh646@cornell.edu).

Please fill out the application in English.