  
Human fascination of birds of prey is ancient, from the Egyptian Horus
to the greek Percnon, raptors -- in reality and myth -- have always found themselves alongside man.
The origins of our research group go back to 1980, when a small study group was formed by Jerry Olsen
and colleagues. They immediately recognized the richness and diversity of the raptor community
in and around Canberra, and acknowledged that this diversity made the region unique for research on birds of prey.
Our horizons have broadened since then, taking our research as far as Indonesia, Flores and Sumba,
though our main focus is still on the
Canberra Region
which includes the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and surrounding areas of New South Wales.
We have a big interest on the general ecology of the local community of birds of prey,
embracing topics like breeding success, foraging patterns, hunting techniques, dispersion and human impact.
We are also actively involved on the proper management and conservation of the local raptors.
The group works along a strong network of collaborators from institutions in Australia and overseas.
Locally, we have the support of Environment ACT and the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service,
and the involvement of other members of the Institute for Applied Ecology like Dr. Tony Tucker.
Cross-institutionally we have colleagues on different fronts such as Walter Boles and Tony Rose from
the Australian Museum, Dr. Stephen Debus from the University of New England at Armindale,
Colin Trainor from Charles Darwin University, Susan Trost from Erindale College, and Dr. Michael Wink
from the Universität Heidelberg in Germany.
Our projects are exciting and novel -- have
a look at the project summaries.
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Colleagues with whom we collaborate on many fronts are available to serve on a supervisory panel,
and of course each may be a point of contact for developing project opportunities as well.
Interested in joining our team? If you are an undergraduate, a prospective postgraduate student,
or a prospective postdoc with strong interests in applying evolutionary, ecological, or conservation
theory to raptors in a field context, we may be the home for you. We are always
interested in new additions to our team, particularly if you have a strong academic
record, enjoy a demanding but productive and collegial work environment, and are
interested in whole animal biology.
Scholarships are available for both
domestic (including NZ) and
international students, with a closing
date of October 31 each year. You would need to discuss options with us well in advance of this date. Refer to the
side-bar for likely future opportunities. These scholarships are highly competitive, and
high academic performance with a publication record greatly improves your chances of success.
Support for Postdoctoral Fellowships is harder to come by. They are available through the
Australian Research Council,
the University of Canberra Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme (advertised irregularly),
the Cooperative Research Centres, and through negotiation with relevant industry.
We would be happy to work with you to develop a competitive proposal on a topic of mutual interest.
Prospective visitors might like to take advantage of our
Visiting Scholars Scheme
To learn more about the kinds of research conducted by our team, check out our list of
publications, the
profiles
of current and past members of our group, or
summaries of our current projects.
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Mr Jerry Olsen 
