Seasonal Size Change and Aging in Shrews

Supervision: Dr. Dina Dechmann (University of Konstanz, MPI-AB)

We are seeking a PhD student to join our team studying seasonal size changes in the common shrew. This project is part of a larger study of Dehnel's Phenomenon, a winter adaptation in small mammals, including our study species the common shrew, with high metabolisms that do not hibernate. Instead they shrink, including the skull, brain, and many organs, and then regrow in spring to prepare for reproduction. This allows them to reduce metabolic requirements when conditions are harsh. We have been studying the changes in the brain, cognitive abilities and metabolism for years, as well as the underlying mechanisms.

Project Details

In the course of our work we are increasingly convinced that the two stages of Dehnel's Phenomenon, the shrinking and the regrowth, may be have evolved under different pressures. In addition, captive shrews that do not show the regrowth can live more than twice as long than their wild conspecifics. We will take advantage of our experience with keeping shrews in captivity to test this. The student will take an experimental approach to test different triggers that might cause the regrowth. We will then be able to compare shrews that do and do not regrow to understand what the compromise between regrowth and lifespan may be. For this we collaborate with Liliana Davalos at Stony Brook in the US and John Nieland at Aalborg University in Denmark, who study the genomics, proteomics and metabolomics. The project will contain repeated imaging of the animals in vivo and the experimental setup for the triggering of regrowth. Beyond this, the project is very flexible and could include cognitive experiments, a more or less active involvement with the -omics, or potentially new ideas as well.

Supervision and Research Community

Students will join the International Max Planck Research School for Quantitative Behavior, Ecology and Evolution (IMPRS-QBEE), a cooperative doctoral program between the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the University of Konstanz. They will be supervised by Dina Dechmann and a committee that will be selected together with the student. The University of Konstanz and the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior together form a thriving research community representing a global hotspot for animal behavior research.

Qualifications

The student has to be prepared to do field work (mainly shrew trapping), and should have some technical/programming skills as there is a variety of automated baseline monitoring of behaviors. You will have to be patient as shrews are stress sensitive and never do what we expect, and ideally be prepared to sacrifice a subset of shrews for sampling. Experience with small mammals would be great, enthusiasm for evolution and adaptation a must. We would welcome a team player to integrate in the lab group that nonetheless can work independently on their project.

The working language of the group is English.

Location

Our branch of the institute is located in Radolfzell and the student will be expected to work there. Nearby Konstanz is a small, vibrant city located on the border between Germany and Switzerland, on the shores of the Bodensee (Lake Constance). It is easy to get out into the beautiful German and Swiss countryside and the Alps, as well as most of Europe.

Application Process

Applicants should apply via the IMPRS application system (due 31. October 2025), and are also required to include a CV and a research statement (see below for details, this is the most important part of your application).

Research Statement Instructions

Applicants should include a 1-2 page research statement that addresses the following points:

1. Describe your main research interests, how they developed, and how they relate to the proposed research project.
2. Read the work that has come out of the lab and generally on Dehnel's and tell us how you would fit in with your interests.

Explain why you want to pursue a Ph.D. and what you hope to gain through the process (including specific skills, experiences, perspectives)