Summer internship – Iceland

Space use in salmonids – Field internship position

Hosting structure: Department of Aquaculture & Fish Biology, Hólar University – Iceland

Dates: Between late June and the end of August 2025 – 2 months internship

Context of the study:
Territoriality, foraging mode and social interactions are all parts of animals’ space use. Territoriality is often described as an area with resources such as food or shelter defended by an individual. However, individuals display great within-population variability, which drives the establishment of a social hierarchy with dominants and subordinates. This leads to unequal access to resources such as food, shelter, or mates and eventually influences the population distribution. However, this social organisation is not permanent and could be affected by parameters such as predation risk, food abundance and distribution, or modification of the environmental conditions. Stream fish, particularly salmonids, are known to be highly variable in their behaviour among individuals, populations, and species.
This project aims to repeatedly estimate space use patterns (territory size, foraging mode, spatial organisation) for juvenile Arctic charr in a natural stream. Specifically, we will conduct a field experiment to estimate how these space use patterns, and their individual repeatability, vary between situations where food resources (drifting invertebrates) are either clumped or dispersed in space.
The research project involves a collaboration between Dr. Stefan O. Steingrimsson, Dr. Camille Leblanc, Dr. David Benhaim at Holar University, Dr. James W.A. Grant at Concordia University in Montréal, Canada, and Dr. Laura K. Weir at St. Mary´s University, in Halifax, Canada.

Student project:
The student task will be to collect data on space use individually tagged fish in stream enclosures via direct observation from the riverbank and to measure the food abundance and habitat in each enclosure.
The student will collaborate closely with a M.Sc. student, Kelsey Stansberry, and 2-3 other students/assistants.

Organizational details:
The working language is English. Accommodation is between 68.000-75.000ISK (450-500€) per month in a shared house and is at the student’s charge. Commuting between the lab and the accommodation place will be at the lab’s charge, and meals during fieldwork are at the project charge. The student will also have free access to the University gym, pool, hot pot and cold pot. Hólar also provides wonderful sceneries for hiking in the mountains and the forest.
This internship is not gratified, but Iceland is eligible for Erasmus+ grants.

Requirements:
The candidates must be enrolled in a degree in the fields of ecology, behavioral ecology, ethology, or relevant equivalent fields. A valid driving license is a requirement.
Application:
Applicants should send an application letter and CV as a single pdf to Stefan O. Steingrimsson (stefan@holar.is). Requests for further information can be sent to the same email address.