Strategies for individual feeding of concentrate to dairy cows – effects on production, health and welfare

Applications are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Animal Science programme. The position is available from 1 August 2014 or later.

Title:

Strategies for individual feeding of concentrate to dairy cows – effects on production, health and welfare

Research area and project description:

A number of traits that can be used to characterize the status of high producing dairy cows such as behaviour and yield can be recorded automatically. Thus there is basic for development of new feeding strategies that take advantage of the genetic potential for milk yield at individual cow level. However, changing the concentrate delivery can change the intake of the basal ration (forage) which in turn may increase the risk of productions diseases. Furthermore, dynamic regulation of concentrate delivery at the individual level may influence behaviour, production and health of the cows. The aim of this PhD project is to investigate how different strategies for individual feeding of concentrate based on automatically recorded information about the individual animal affect production and welfare.

The research will be done at a research farm with many options for automatically recordings and special equipment for recording of feeding behaviour and feed intake. The Phd project is conducted as an integrated part of an interdisciplinary research project, and will relate to both nutrition and behaviour of dairy cows.

Qualifications and specific competences:

Applicants must have a relevant Master Degree in animal science or in veterinary science.

Place of Employment and Place of Work:

The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Research Center Foulum, Blichers Alle 20, 8830 Tjele Denmark

Contacts:

Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:

Professor, Head of research Unit, Lene Munksgaard, Dept. of Animal Science Tel. +458715953, e-mail lene.munksgaard@agrsci.dk or Senior Scientist, Martin Riis Weisbjerg, Dept. of Animal Science, Tel.+4587158046, e-mail martin.weisbjerg@agrsci.dk

Application procedures:

Before you apply:

Information and attachments:

Please be aware that you must have all relevant appendices, attachments, addresses for referees, etc. ready when you apply, as the entire application must be uploaded to the system in one go.

Documentation of language skills:

If English is a secondary language it is required that your English qualifications are documented. The English language requirement at Graduates School of Science and Technology is comparable to an “English B level” in the Danish upper secondary school (“gymnasium”).

English language qualifications comparable to an “English B level” is documented by one of the following tests:

·         TOEFL test, minimum score: 560 (paper-based test) or 83 (internet-based test)

·         IELTS (academic) test, minimum average score: 6.5 points

·         Cambridge ESOL Examinations:

Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency (CPE)

Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)

When to take the test and how to upload the documentation:

The test result must not be more than two years old at the time of application.

The English language test should be taken before applying for admission and uploaded under “language skills documentation” in the online application form.

It is possible to apply for admission before you have taken the test. In this case documentation stating that you have signed up for a test (please state expected submission date) must be uploaded. If the test result is not part of the original application the test result is to be sent to sphd@psys.au.dkno later than one month after the application deadline.

The following applicants are exempted from documenting their English qualifications/taking a test:

·         Applicants from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, or one of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway or Sweden).

·         Applicants with a Bachelor’s or Master’s programme completed in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, or United States.

·         Applicants able to document that English was the language of instruction during their Bachelor’s and/or Master’s programme. This must be documented by uploading an official document from the institution stating this under “language skills documentation”.

The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.

How to apply:

1) Find the application form:

Go to http://talent.au.dk/phd/scienceandtechnology/opencalls/

Choose May 2014 Call with deadline 1 May 2014 at 11.59 PM MET.

You will be directed to the call, and must choose the programme 'Animal Science'

2) Fill in the following information:

·         Personal information

·         Academic background

·         Admission

·         Financing (if any)

·         Study: In the dropdown menu you must choose the project: "Strategies for individual feeding of concentrate to dairy cows – effects on production, health and welfare"

·         Source (how you found out about the call)

3) Application attachments:

Please be aware that you cannot submit the application if one or several of these documents have not been uploaded.

As a minimum you must upload the following application material (pdf-files only, max. 20 MB, no zip):

·         Reference letter (as a minimum 1 must be uploaded)

·         Curriculum vitae

·         Motivation (max. 1 page)

·         One merged file with scanned copies of diploma(s) and transcript(s) of records for all university degrees. Please include the original documents as well as a certified English translation, if the original is not in Scandinavian or English. Please enter your unweighted grade average calculated according to the national grading scale for BSc and MSc separately.

·         Project description (½-4 pages). For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. When - as here - you apply for a specific project, please simply copy the project description above, and upload it as a PDF in the application. If you wish to, you can indicate an URL where further information can be found. Please note that we reserve the right to remove scientific papers, large reports, theses and the like.

·         Documentation of language skills if required.

Please note:

The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.

Please note that the project will only be initiated if final funding (from GSST/the faculty) is secured.

Green forages for milk production

Applications are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Animal Science programme. The position is available from 1 August 2014 or later.

Title:

Green forages for milk production

Research area and project description:

Green forages as grasses and legumes are major in dairy cow nutrition, both as sole forages and as supplements to whole crops as maize silage. Both within grasses and legumes different types and varieties are used for dairy cows, but the use change over the years, and seldom different types are compared within trial. Most forage used for intensive milk production is conserved as silage. The value of forages for milk production depends mainly on their digestibility and their trait for cows feed intake, and on their protein content and protein quality.

The aim of this PhD project is to investigate feed intake and milk production when cows are fed different forage types sole or in mixes, and to assess the impact of degree of prewilting before ensiling on the protein value of silages.

The research will be done in research barns using both intact cows for assessing feed intake and milk production, and cows fistulated in the rumen and intestine for assessing the protein value. The PhD project will be part of the project ‘Optimal milk production using grass and legumes’.

Qualifications and specific competences:

Applicants to the PhD position must have a relevant Master’s degree in animal science.

Place of Employment and Place of Work:

The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is AU Foulum, Blichers Alle 20, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark.

Contacts:

Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:

Martin Riis Weisbjerg

Senior Scientist

Department of Animal Science, AU

Application procedures:

Before you apply:

Information and attachments:

Please be aware that you must have all relevant appendices, attachments, addresses for referees, etc. ready when you apply, as the entire application must be uploaded to the system in one go.

Documentation of language skills:

If English is a secondary language it is required that your English qualifications are documented. The English language requirement at Graduates School of Science and Technology is comparable to an “English B level” in the Danish upper secondary school (“gymnasium”).

English language qualifications comparable to an “English B level” is documented by one of the following tests:

·         TOEFL test, minimum score: 560 (paper-based test) or 83 (internet-based test)

·         IELTS (academic) test, minimum average score: 6.5 points

·         Cambridge ESOL Examinations:

Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency (CPE)

Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)

When to take the test and how to upload the documentation:

The test result must not be more than two years old at the time of application.

The English language test should be taken before applying for admission and uploaded under “language skills documentation” in the online application form.

It is possible to apply for admission before you have taken the test. In this case documentation stating that you have signed up for a test (please state expected submission date) must be uploaded. If the test result is not part of the original application the test result is to be sent to sphd@psys.au.dkno later than one month after the application deadline.

The following applicants are exempted from documenting their English qualifications/taking a test:

·         Applicants from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, or one of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway or Sweden).

·         Applicants with a Bachelor’s or Master’s programme completed in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, or United States.

·         Applicants able to document that English was the language of instruction during their Bachelor’s and/or Master’s programme. This must be documented by uploading an official document from the institution stating this under “language skills documentation”.

The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.

How to apply:

1) Find the application form:

Go to http://talent.au.dk/phd/scienceandtechnology/opencalls/

Choose May 2014 Call with deadline 1 May 2014 at 11.59 PM MET.

You will be directed to the call, and must choose the programme 'Animal Science'

2) Fill in the following information:

·         Personal information

·         Academic background

·         Admission

·         Financing (if any)

·         Study: In the dropdown menu you must choose the project: " Green forages for milk production"

·         Source (how you found out about the call)

3) Application attachments:

Please be aware that you cannot submit the application if one or several of these documents have not been uploaded.

As a minimum you must upload the following application material (pdf-files only, max. 20 MB, no zip):

·         Reference letter (as a minimum 1 must be uploaded)

·         Curriculum vitae

·         Motivation (max. 1 page)

·         One merged file with scanned copies of diploma(s) and transcript(s) of records for all university degrees. Please include the original documents as well as a certified English translation, if the original is not in Scandinavian or English. Please enter your unweighted grade average calculated according to the national grading scale for BSc and MSc separately.

·         Project description (½-4 pages). For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. When - as here - you apply for a specific project, please simply copy the project description above, and upload it as a PDF in the application. If you wish to, you can indicate an URL where further information can be found. Please note that we reserve the right to remove scientific papers, large reports, theses and the like.

·         Documentation of language skills if required.

Please note:

The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.

PhD position available

Using a “Focus Farm” approach to increase knowledge and improve dairy cow welfare 

Currently we have funding through the Canadian Dairy Research Cluster program to support a PhD studentship for 3 years. Beginning as soon as possible, the student will be registered in the Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Canada. The successful candidate will work in the areas of epidemiology, animal welfare science, and both quantitative and qualitative research methods. 

Are you interested in helping dairy farmers to connect with one another, share their collective knowledge, and learn about important new research findings that will help them improve the comfort of their animals? This research project will explore the use of a facilitated “Focus Farm” extension process (farmer-led training) to sharing and transferring knowledge, in order to promote the continuous improvement of cow comfort on dairy farms in Ontario. 

Read a brief summary of the project-at-large: http://tinyurl.com/ClusterCowComfortSummary 

The preferred candidate qualifications include ● A degree in veterinary medicine, animal science, animal biology, or social science ● A Masters degree from one of these fields of study ● Strong academic achievement ● The ability to communicate and work well with others ● A valid driver’s license ● Knowledge about the dairy industry would be a great asset. 

For further information about the academic admission requirements for graduate studies in the Department of Population Medicine, tuition costs, etc., potential applicants should visit the University of Guelph website and contact the, Graduate Program Assistant, Tel: (+1) 519-824-4120, Ext. 54780 or E-mail: pmgrad@ovc.uoguelph.ca). 

This position will remain open until it is filled. For further information, please contact: 

Dr Derek HALEY 

 2539 Stewart Building 

Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph 

Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada 

 dhaley@uoguelph.ca 

 (+1) 519-824-4120, Ext. 53677 

 (+1) 519-763-8621 

Offre d’allocation doctorale (3 ans), Université de Saint-­‐Etienne

Sujet de thèse - concours allocation doctorale Caen - date limite : 30 avril 2014

Post Doc in epidemiology and animal welfare.

For the project ‘Using data collected as part of official animal welfare control in animal welfare research’ we are advertising a postdoctoral/researcher position at the Department of Animal Environment and Health.

Since 2009, data from official animal welfare control in Sweden has been collected according to standardised species specific checklists for all categories of animals and consists of animal, resource and management-based measures. The resulting unique database is coordinated by the Swedish Board of Agriculture, but it has not yet been explored to assess its potential as a source of information about current welfare problems, the risk for future problems, or to help guide further harmonised data collection nationally or internationally. These questions are interesting from an international animal welfare research perspective as well as from a national practical point of view. With regard to farm animals, there is also the potential to extract information from industry databases for joint analysis with information from the official animal welfare control database. The research project is part of the Centre of Excellence in Animal Welfare Science, a strong research environment platform supported by the Swedish research council Formas.

Duties: To check the database for completeness, correctness and consistency, in consultation with the scientific team, and to contribute to the timely completion of the project. The applicant will take full responsibility for specific aspects of the analysis and the subsequent scientific publications. The applicant should also be active in helping promote further research in this area, including participating in writing research applications. There is the opportunity to supervise MSc students in related animal welfare research projects if the applicant wants to expand his/her teaching experience.

Qualifications: The position requires a PhD in Epidemiology, or an equivalent subject, and experience of working independently with large databases. An undergraduate degree in an animal related discipline (e.g. animal science, veterinary medicine, biology) is a merit as it will help with the interpretation of the animal welfare implications of the data. Knowledge of Swedish animal husbandry, animal welfare authority work and official animal welfare control can be an advantage, but will be weighed against other skills, such as long term potential to expand research in this area and contribute to strengthening our research profile in animal welfare science and policy.

Place of work: Uppsala

Form of employment: Temporary employment, 2 years

Extent: 100 %

Starting date: By agreement

Application:

We welcome your application marked with Ref no. SLU ua 781/2014. 

Please submit your application to the Registrar of SLU, P.O. Box 7070, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden or registrator@slu.se no later than March 31, 2014.

SLU is an equal opportunity employer.

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