MSc Projects

We are currently looking for one or two MSc students to work on problems related to Social Evolution.

The first project involves modeling cooperative behaviours and the tragedy of the commons. This project will investigate the conditions under which cooperation is favoured, and where the tragedy of the commons is avoided This will be done either by building analytical (simple algebraic) models, or by building computer simulations (using Matlab, C++, Java or another programming language). No previous mathematics or programming skills are required (but they will obviously be an advantage), but a willingness to undertake a theoretical project is essential.

The second project involves conducting economic experiments with human participants in order to investigate different aspects of human behaviour. A computer platform is used, so computer literacy is a must. Being able to speak or understand German is also an advantage, since the experiments will take place here in Zürich.

While we have a list of specific topics to be addressed, the exact questions in both projects are entirely open to the student, and all students will be encouraged to pursue their own ideas. Both students will be supervised by Dr Daniel Rankin, and will be based in the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology group (located in the Mathematics Building Y27, on the Irchel Campus), which works on a diverse range of questions related to evolutionary biology.

If you are interested, or want further details, please contact Daniel Rankin at .