The postdoctoral fellowship is part of the DogBrain research project ”Bioarchaeology of the evolution of the canine brain” led by Thomas Cucchi (BioArch) in collaboration with zooarchaeologists, palaeontologists specialising in canid evolution and physical anthropologists. The post-doctoral researcher will work in the BioArch laboratory at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris (MNHN). The aim of this project is to follow the evolution of the canine brain over 10,000 years of archaeological record in Western and Central Europe, from the first Palaeolithic so-called dogs to the current breeds. This neuroanatomical evolution will be traced using proxy endocasts derived from computed tomography (CT) scans of selected skulls. Geometric morphometry and 3D imaging analyses will identify morpho-functional changes in the canine brain and skull over time and through socio-cultural dynamics. By providing access to key elements of canine brain evolution throughout the history of its domestication, this bioarchaeological approach will renew the understanding of our influence on the brain evolution of one of our closest domesticated animals.
Activities
The researcher will be responsible for
1) Segmentation of CT data to obtain 3D models of the skull, mandible and endocasts;
2) Acquisition and statistical analysis of 3D geometric morphometric data for these three elements;
3) Database management and accessibility of the 3D images;
(4) Presentation and discussion of the results with the project consortium;
(5) Supervision of a Masters 2 student as part of the contract, if requested;
(6) Publication of at least two articles with all

The researcher will be responsible for
1) Segmentation of CT data to obtain 3D models of the skull, mandible and endocasts;
2) Acquisition and statistical analysis of 3D geometric morphometric data for these three elements;
3) Database management and accessibility of the 3D images;
(4) Presentation and discussion of the results with the project consortium;
(5) Supervision of a Masters 2 student as part of the contract, if requested;
(6) Publication of at least two articles with all partners in A-rank interdisciplinary open access journals.
Skills
The candidate will have a background in evolutionary science, palaeontology or bioarchaeology. A profile specialising in the study of the neuroanatomical evolution of terrestrial mammals is an advantage, but very solid training in the acquisition/processing of computerised imaging data, 3D geometric morphometry applied to fossil remains, and multivariate statistics in R is a prerequisite.
Work Context
The researcher will work in the Bioarchaeology Laboratory (CNRS/MNHN) of the Natural History Museum in Paris. This internationally recognised laboratory carries out research on human-environment interactions during the Holocene and on the methodological development of bioarchaeological approaches to animal domestication. It also has an imaging platform dedicated to bioarchaeological remains (PIB), which provides all the equipment and software needed to process and reconstruct virtual digital representations of endocasts (Avizo and Geomagic) and to collect 3D morphometric data on them (Checkpoint). In this laboratory, the researcher will be able to interact with numerous researchers working on human-dog interactions throughout the history of domestication, be it prehistoric, ancient or medieval. He/she will be able to present the progress of his/her work at seminars and study days organised by the multidisciplinary ”Bioarchaeology of Socio-Ecosystems” unit of the laboratory.
He/she will also work in synergy with the project’s partners, namely palaeontologists from CR2P (MNHN), who specialise in the neuroanatomical evolution of carnivores and fossil imaging, and palaeoanthropologists from HNHP (MNHN), who specialise in the evolution of the human brain.
It will also have access to the MNHN’s CT-scan X-ray tomography (AST RX) platform to digitise the museum’s dog and wolf collections.

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