PhD proposal

 PhD Opportunity – Fall 2026
INVESTIGATION INTO DIFFERENT
FARROWING SYSTEMS FOR INTENSIVELY REARED
SOWS
Description:
Prairie Swine Centre’s Ethology department presents a new PhD opportunity with the objective of
evaluating alternative farrowing systems on the welfare and productivity of sows and piglets.
Prairie Swine Centre is located in Saskatoon, SK, Canada and includes a 300-sow farrow-to-finish barn.
Two alternative farrowing systems will be evaluated alongside the conventional farrowing crate.
Several factors will be measured throughout the duration of the project to systematically evaluate the
systems and their possible integration into commercial industry.
This project will be supervised by Dr. Jen-Yun Chou (PhD, MSc, MA) from the department of Ethology at
Prairie Swine Centre. The student will be enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan in the Department
of Animal and Poultry Science.
Funding is expected to last 3.5 years (2026-2030). Coursework will be completed at the University of
Saskatchewan. The selected candidate will be paid according to the standard rate for Doctoral
students ($30,655/year) and are expected to help acquire additional scholarships.
Deadline for submission of application: March 31, 2026.
Expected starting date: September 1, 2026
Skills:
• Master’s degree in Animal Science, Animal Behaviour/Welfare, Animal Agriculture, or other
relevant fields
• Research interest in farm animal welfare
• Good understanding of the needs of Canadian livestock producers
• English proficiency
• Holder of a valid Canadian driver’s license and is committed to acquiring a car within one year
of acceptance to facilitate trial work
Applicants:
For more information, please contact Dr. Jen-Yun Chou (jenyun.chou@usask.ca) or research officer
Abby Tillotson (abby.tillotson@usask.ca). To apply, please send your CV (4 pages max, including two
references and their contact information), unofficial transcript records, and a cover letter outlining your
expression of interest (2 pages max).