We have an opportunity for a Master student (or
other types of 4-6 months internships) for a project entitled “Voluntary
helping behaviour in pigs”.
The Institute of
Behavioural Physiology at the Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology,
Dummerstorf, Germany, in collaboration with the Institute of Animal
Welfare Science of the University of Veterinary Medicine,
Vienna, Austria are seeking a motivated Masters student to take part in
the development of a new model of voluntary helping behaviour in pigs.
The research will be
conducted at the Swine Experimentation Facility of the Leibniz Institute
for Farm Animal Biology in Dummerstorf, Germany, near Rostock. You will
play a central part in the project, with the
goals to help with the design of the study, conduct training and
hands-on trials to insure that pigs understand the task, and collect
behavioural data and non-invasive hormone samples to examine spontaneous
helping behaviour in pigs.
The starting date is
flexible, but ideally would be in March or April 2020. We are seeking a
candidate with a strong interest in animal behaviour and animal welfare
and with previous research experience working
with animals, ideally involving animal training. Students should be
comfortable with working and writing in English. German language
abilities are helpful but not necessary.
If you are interested or have questions, please send your CV and a one-page letter of motivation to: Dr. Liza Moscovice (moscovice@fbn-dummerstorf.de) and to Dr.
Jean-Loup Rault (Jean-Loup.Rault@vetmeduni.ac.at). The position can be filled at any time.