Federal Department of Economic Affairs,Education and Research EAERAgroscope Agroscope Job Advertisement PositionPhD project: “Assessing cubicle partitions for dairy cows with regard to animal welfare – Development of a standardised method to be applied in the Swiss authorisation procedure for mass-produced housing installations” ProjectCubicle partitions control the lying-down and standing-up movements of dairy cows with the aim of preventing, to the maximum extent possible, soiling of the lying area. In addition, cubicle partitions must not hinder cows’ species-specific movements. The aim of this three-year project is to develop and validate a sensor-based method for analysing behavioural patterns in cubicles to enable the objective assessment of the effect of the different types of cubicle partitions used on commercial farms on animal welfare. Tasks-Developingand validatinga new methodtoanalysecow behavioural patterns during lying-down and standing-up movements using accelerometer and video recordings at our animal research facility. - Applying the method in studies on 20 Swiss dairy farms. - Producing scientific papers in English, participating in science conferences and presenting your findings to an expert audience.Requirements-Master'sdegree in Agronomy, Biology, Veterinary Medicineora related specialist field- Interest in applied research in ethology and dairy cows- Experience and interest in analysing sensor-based and animal-related datasets- Ability to work independently and accurately; cat. B driving licence - Experience in dealing with standard PC programs and statistics software- Good knowledge of two official Swiss languages and English; French an advantage; language of the workplaceis GermanOrganisationAgroscope is the Swiss federal centre of excellence for research in the agriculture and food sector. Itsresearchers carry out their work at a number of sites in Switzerland. Headquartered in Bern-Liebefeld,Agroscope is attached to the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER.The ‘Farm-Animal Welfare’ Research Group at the Tänikon site (canton of Thurgau) deals with the improvement of animal-friendly housing and the assessment of livestock welfare.We offer you a varied job in an interesting work environment, as well as thorough initial training. Agroscope boasts excellent research facilities and well-equipped laboratories. You will enjoy flexible working hours, a staff restaurantand good employee benefits.Place of WorkAgroscope Tänikon, 8356 Ettenhausen TGSalary CategoryAccording to Swiss National Science Foundation guidelinesEmployment Level100%(full-time)ApplicationIf this challenge appeals to you and you meet our requirements profile, we look forward to receiving your online application (covering letter, CV, copies of degree certificates), including the contact information of two referees, at the following address: www.stelle.admin.ch; Ref. no. 44391. Deadline: 12 February 2021. For further information, please contact Dr. Madeleine Scriba, Project Leader at Agroscope Tänikon, at madeleine.scriba@agroscope.admin.ch or (tel.) +41 (0)58 482 0102 (please do not send your application to this emailaddress).Startingdateof employment: 1stMay2021,or as agreed. Duration: 3 years.