At the Division of Animal Welfare (Prof. Hanno
Würbel), University of Bern, Switzerland, we are seeking a PhD student
who is eager to study environmental effects on behaviour and physiology
in mice, with an eye to understanding the implications
of such plasticity for animal welfare and for the validity of animal
research. The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation
(SNSF). The successful candidate will be working in a small team
together with faculty, two postdocs, and a lab technician
and will be able to participate in the training and mentoring of
Bachelor and Master students.
The PhD project will include experimental studies
using laboratory mice to study how pre- and post-natal environmental
conditions modulate behaviour, stress, and anxiety. Outcome variables of
interest will include behavioural, physiological,
and epigenetic measures.
Candidates need a University degree in biology,
animal sciences, or biomedical sciences. A background in animal
behaviour (basic or applied ethology, behavioural ecology, behavioural
neuroscience, or behavioural genetics), experience with
laboratory rodents, and training in experimental design and statistics
will be a plus.
We offer an attractive academic environment,
opportunities to develop the own academic career, and a competitive
salary based on the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) scheme.
Please send your application letter together with a
motivation statement, your CV, copies of relevant study certificates,
and contact details of one or two reference persons (reference letters
are not required at this stage) merged into
one single pdf-file to:
hanno.wuerbel@vetsuisse.unibe.ch.
The deadline for application is August 20, 2018.
The position will be available immediately or at your earliest
convenience. Please indicate your preferred and earliest possible start
date in the application letter. For informal
enquiries, please contact Dr. Bernhard Voelkl:
bernhard.voelkl@vetsuisse.unibe.ch.