Research internship on Cayo Santiago
Cayo Longitudinal Cohort project · New York University, University of Exeter, University of Notre Dame and Arizona State University · James Higham, Lauren Brent, Sam Patterson and Noah Snyder-Mackler
Internships and training opportunities are centered on training and provide support towards stipends and possibly living costs.
The opportunity
Training in non-invasive field research, on a long-term study of rhesus macaque physiology and behaviour. Interns join the team on the island on weekdays, observing the free-ranging monkeys and collecting behavioural data and faecal and urine samples. Those who can stay from early January to early October 2027 are preferred.
What it involves
- Observing adult and juvenile monkeys in their natural habitat and recording their behaviour
- Collecting faecal and urine samples non-invasively, as the chance arises
- Weekdays on the island, about 7.5 hours a day
Who can apply
- US citizens and permanent residents aged 18 or over
- Able to spend most of a long day on your feet in heat with little shade, on steep and uneven ground
- At ease close to free-ranging monkeys, with the alertness wild animals call for
- Comfortable collecting faecal and urine samples
- An interest in biological anthropology, animal behaviour, primatology, ecology, veterinary science or a related field
- Independent, and a good member of a team
- Before starting: proof of diphtheria/tetanus and two-dose MMR vaccination, a negative TB test from the six months before the start (a blood test preferred), negative measles titres (IgG), and a health questionnaire
- Preferred: field experience, especially with primates or in hot climates; a bachelor's degree in biology, anthropology, ecology or a related field; basic Spanish
How to apply
By email to Emma Thurau and Rachel Nelson, send:
- Cover letter of up to two pages, saying the earliest date in January 2027 you could start and how many continuous months you could stay
- CV or résumé
- Contact details for two references
All three in one PDF named CayoApplication_YOURNAME, emailed to both contacts.