PhD proposal

 https://www.uwe.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-study/how-to-apply/studentship-opportunities/ai-recognition-of-animal-emotions

Funded PhD position: Miller Cognition & Conservation Group

 

We have a 4-year PhD position at University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus, Cornwall, ideally starting Sept 2026, entitled “From cognition to conservation: using cognitive and behavioural research to enhance animal reintroductions”. The supervisory team is Dr Rachael Miller (Harrison), Prof Alex Thornton, Dr Malcolm Burgess, Dr Malcolm Nicoll and Liz Corry, and funding is via my Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship.

 

Advert: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/funding/award/?id=5860 and https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/from-cognition-to-conservation-using-cognitive-and-behavioural-research-to-enhance-animal-reintroductions-phd-funded/?p196547

The closing date for applications is midnight on 5th June 2026. Please note it is (unfortunately) open to UK/Home students only, due to funder budget constraints.

Please can you help to circulate to your networks and relevant candidates. 

Research Assistant in Primate

 

Primate Cognitive Neuroscience Lab Manager and Research Assistant

The University of Chicago
Department of Neurobiology and Neuroscience Institute
Neuroscience Institute
Chicago, IL

General Summary:

The laboratory of David Freedman in the Department of Neurobiology and Neuroscience Institute at The University of Chicago investigates the neuronal mechanisms of visual learning, memory and decision making and is looking for a full-time research assistant to provide support for its research with non-human primates. The successful candidate will enjoy working in a dynamic team of around a dozen graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and reserach assistants, and contributing to cutting-edge scientific research on the mechanisms of cognition and learning in the non-human primate brain. The position is full time and includes salary and benefits.

The laboratory is located on the main campus of The University of Chicago, in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

Essential Functions:

Assisting in maintaining and documenting animal health and welfare (10%); assisting in training nonhuman primates (M. Mulatta) to perform computer-based behavioral tasks (50%); maintaining and documenting the supply of laboratory consumables and equipment (10%); maintaining equipment and experimental rooms (10%); training, collaborating, and assisting new laboratory personnel (10%); assisting in surgery and other minor procedures (5%); and handling various administrative and technical tasks (5%).

Qualifications:  Education and/or experience in animal research is required. Requires working knowledge of Microsoft Office and other related software; must be able to produce written reports of completed work and procedures; previous experience in a behavioral, cognitive, or neurophysiology laboratory and/or experience with non-human primates preferred.

Mental Demands:  Ability to conduct and coordinate multiple projects, general ability to troubleshoot and solve problems independently with limited direction, ability to work accurately with attention to detail.

Physical Demands: Responsibilities may require walking, standing, bending, and moderate weight lifting and carrying.

Interested candidates are encouraged to send a resume/CV and brief statement of career goals to Dr. Freedman at dfreedman@uchicago.edu.

Contact Information:
David J. Freedman, Ph.D.

Website:
http://www.freedmanlab.org

E-mail Address:

dfreedman@uchicago.edu

Two PhD (postdoc) Positions in the Evolutionary Cognition Group

 We are offering two 4-year PhD positions in the Evolutionary Cognition Group of the Department of
Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Zurich.
The candidates will be hired for the SNF project The Evolutionary Roots of Altercentrism. In a broader
team, we investigate whether altercentric effects on cognition are unique to humans, or instead also
present in nonhuman primates. A strong focus is on the cooperatively breeding marmosets, who may be
particularly susceptible to altercentric influences, and on how altercentrism may be influenced by dyadic
and group properties such as bond strength, prosociality, and inter-individual synchronization at various
levels (physiological with thermography, hormonal, behavioral and communicative). To identify
evolutionary pathways toward altercentrism, additional nonhuman primate species will be tested.
The project combines cutting-edge technologies: experiments and observations supported by computer
vision and machine learning, gaze tracking, thermography, hormonal analyses, automated sound location
and RIFD controlled tasks. Candidates with expertise in at least one oft these techniques are particularly
welcome to apply.
The successful candidate is expected to
- be interested in animal cognition and communication and contribute to shaping the project
- perform cognitive tests and collect observational data with marmosets
- have previous experience with one of the above mentioned techniques, or a strong interest in it
- collect data in additional nonhuman primate species
- possess a solid background in statistics and data processing
- be fluent in English (oral, written)
Candidates should have a Msc degree or equivalent and a relevant training background in Biology,
Psychology, or Evolutionary Anthropology. They will be part of the PhD program in Evolutionary Biology
of the University of Zurich. The start of the positions is ideally in October 2026, or upon agreement. We
may also consider postdoc applications for one of the positions.
Please submit your application in a single pdf to judith.burkart@iea.uzh.ch, ideally until May 20, 2026.
Applications should include a cover letter stating your motivation and how your expertise fits in this
project (1 page), a CV, a copy of the highest degree obtained, and the names of two referees.
We take gender balance and diversity seriously in our hiring decisions

Fully funded PhD opportunity at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.

 

Open to UK, EU, and international applicants.

Background: Many mammals regularly use burrows as resting sites, predation refuges, and breeding dens. Burrows also aid thermoregulation by buffering extreme temperature fluctuations, making them vital as mammals adjust to a changing world. Despite the crucial functions burrows fulfil, we still know little about how their architecture influences their value as shelters and nurseries, and how animals interact with their subterranean environment. This exciting, multi-disciplinary, technology-driven PhD aims to clarify how the structure of breeding and sleeping burrows affects the lives of their occupants, using an exceptional long-term study of wild Kalahari meerkats (Suricata suricatta).

Full details and application portal available here: https://www.uea.ac.uk/course/phd-doctorate/phd-mapping-the-manor-burrow-architecture-and-its-consequences-in-wild-kalahari-meerkats-cramdu26biolvh

Application deadline: 30^th April

Questions? Contact Dom Cram d.cram@uea.ac.uk

Offre de stage

 OFFRE DE STAGE / 2026
Effet d’un additif alimentaire sur le comportement et la caudophagie chez le porc
Le bien-être animal est une attente sociétale forte pour l’élevage porcin. Des normes réglementaires européennes encadrent fortement les conditions de conduite et de logement des animaux.
Depuis plusieurs années la filière porcine s’est engagée vers l’arrêt de pratiques qui affectent l’intégrité physique des animaux et qui entrainent de la douleur pour l’animal : meulage des dents, castration à vif des porcelets, coupe de la queue. L’arrêt de la caudectomie entraine un risque accru de caudophagie, c’est-à-dire de morsures au niveau de la queue, préjudiciables à la santé et au bien-être des porcs. Plusieurs solutions sont testées pour réduire le risque de morsures, sur les conditions de conduite ou de logement des animaux : densité, enrichissement du milieu de vie des porcs, alimentation des animaux…
Un fabricant d’aliment a conçu un additif alimentaire, à base d’extraits de plantes, dont l’objectif est de diminuer la nervosité des animaux. L’objet du stage est de mesurer l’impact de cet additif sur le comportement de porcs, et de vérifier si cela ce traduit par une diminution du risque de caudophagie.
Contenu du stage
L’étude réalisée à la station expérimentale de la Chambre d’agriculture de Bretagne se déroulera sur 2 bandes de porcelets et de porcs charcutiers élevés sur caillebotis (début des expérimentations sur les 2 lots les 4/06/2026 et 29/10/2026).
Sur la durée du stage, le travail consistera à caractériser la nervosité et le comportement des porcs (analyse de photos, observations directes du comportement), à participer à la pesée individuelle des animaux, à qualifier l’état des queues (longueur, état de queues).
Ce travail sera réalisé en lien avec l’équipe de la station de Crécom, le maître de stage et des ingénieurs de l’équipe en charge de cette étude.
Conditions d’accueil
Durée du stage : 3 à 4 mois à partir de juin 2026
Lieu : Station expérimentale de Crécom (22480 Saint Nicolas du Pélem)
Indemnité mensuelle : Maison sur site mise gratuitement à disposition du stagiaire (maison confortable) + indemnité repas de 4 €/jour de travail + gratification selon barème en vigueur au sein de la Chambre d’agriculture de Bretagne (4,35€/heure).
Profil souhaité
Elève Ingénieur ou Master ayant des attraits pour l’élevage et le comportement animal, aimant travailler en équipe et en autonomie.
Encadrement
Claudie Guyomarc’h, responsable de la station expérimentale porcine de Crécom et Nicolas Villain, chargé d’études sur le comportement et le bien-être animal à la Chambre d’agriculture de Bretagne. Merci d’envoyer votre candidature (CV + lettre de motivation) par mail : claudie.guyomarch@bretagne.chambagri.fr (06 62 76 75 19)