M2/engineer Research internship offer : Sound propagation in biodiversity monitoring

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INRAE presentation

The French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE) is a major player in research and innovation. It is a community of 12,000 people with 272 research, experimental research, and support units located in 18 regional centres throughout France. Internationally, INRAE is among the top research organisations in the agricultural and food sciences, plant and animal sciences, as well as in ecology and environmental science. It is the world’s leading research organisation specialising in agriculture, food and the environment. INRAE’s goal is to be a key player in the transitions necessary to address major global challenges. Faced with a growing world population, climate change, resource scarcity, and declining biodiversity, the Institute has a major role to play in building solutions and supporting the necessary acceleration of agricultural, food and environmental transitions.

Work environment, missions and activities

You will be based at the INRAE EFNO (Forest Ecosystems Nogent) research unit in Nogent-sur-Vernisson. The unit comprises approximately 40 researchers, engineers and technicians. A large part of the research activities and expertise revolves around the functioning and sustainable management of temperate forests. The biodiversity axis, in particular, examines the pressures exerted on forest biodiversity in order to devise monitoring methods and sustainable management recommendations.

 

Contexte: Passive acoustic monitoring is often used in ecoacoustics to derive biodiversity metrics (vocal activity, richness, etc.). These metrics depend on the acoustic detection space sampled by the sound recorder, which is affected by the propagation of sound signals produced by soniferous species, as well as the surrounding habitat (1,2). We seek a more thorough understanding of audible sound and ultrasonic propagation in forests to standardise these biodiversity metrics.

You will strengthen the “Biodiversity” research axis and the ecoacoustics pole, and you would work within the PEPR FORESTT, specifically, the focal project Monitor, task 3.1: “Forest bird and bat biodiversity”. You will be supervised by Kevin Darras, EFNO researcher, and co-supervised by Sylvain Haupert, research engineer at the MNHN (French National Museum of Natural History). Your research internship will cover the topic of sound transmission in forests in dependency of environmental factors (habitat, topography temperature, etc.) in order to standardise bird and bat biodiversity metrics derived from passive acoustic monitoring. You will acquire a large set of skills in ecoacoustics (configuration, deployment, calibration, processing, and analysis) as well as in statistical analysis (frequentist modeling), and scientific writing.

References :

1. Darras, K., Pütz, P., Fahrurrozi, Rembold, K., Tscharntke, T., 2016. Measuring sound detection spaces for acoustic animal sampling and monitoring. Biological Conservation 201, 29–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.06.021
2. Haupert, S., Sèbe, F., Sueur, J., 2022. Physics-based model to predict the acoustic detection distance of terrestrial autonomous recording units over the diel cycle and across seasons: Insights from an Alpine and a Neotropical forest. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 14, 614–630. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14020

¡ Specifically, you will be in charge of:

• Analysing 2025 sound recordings (computer work) with signal processing, potentially AI algorithms, and sound propagation models to characterise sound propagation in 100 forest plots of the RENECOFOR network.
• Statistical modeling of the influence of environmental parameters on sound propagation in these plots
• Expanding the audio database with further recordings and measurements (forest field work) and possible historical data from other ecosystems to fill the gaps and answer your research question

business trips of several working days in metropolitan France using INRAE vehicles – driving licence preferable. Frequent trips and field work that necessitate a good physical condition.

Training and skills

Recommended training : Master or engineer in the domains of scientific equipment, metrology, ecology, natural habitat management...

Appreciated knowledge and experience : biodiversity, acoustics, data processing, statistical modeling

Skills sought : flexibility and learning skills to conduct field work and computer-based work efficiently, communication skills, rigour to execute sampling protocols thoroughly

INRAE's life quality

By joining our teams, you benefit from (depending on the type of contract and its duration):

- up to 30 days of annual leave + 15 days "Reduction of Working Time" (for a full time);
- parenting support: CESU childcare, leisure services;
- skills development systems: training, career advise;
- social support: advice and listening, social assistance and loans;
- holiday and leisure services: holiday vouchers, accommodation at preferential rates;
- sports and cultural activities;
- collective catering.

How to apply

I send my CV and my motivation letter