Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong
Supervision Team: Dr. Kate Flay, Dr. Kai Liu, Dr Alan McElligott (City University of Hong Kong; CityU), Dr. Mia Cobb (University of Melbourne).
Introduction
The Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences (https://www.cityu.edu.hk/jcc/) is building a team of internationally renowned researchers who are actively engaged in advancing animal health and welfare. Its mission includes the establishment of state-of-the-art research in emerging problems in public health and animal health related issues, in meeting societal needs locally, regionally and internationally through partnership and strengthening links with industry, business, commerce and other institutions. We also aim to make a significant contribution to Hong Kong as a regional hub for One Health education, through the provision of high-quality education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
The recently established Centre for Companion Animal Health and Welfare (CAHW, https://www.cityu.edu.hk/cahw/), is the first of its kind in Asia, and is an Applied Strategic Development Centre of CityU. The CAHW is a multidisciplinary team of veterinary researchers with complementary expertise and shared core values of excellence, integrity and compassion.
Large numbers of dogs are housed in kennels across the world. Currently, there is no system to monitor their welfare in real time. We aim to develop methods to remotely monitor the welfare of kennel-housed dogs using their behaviours and vocalisations. Various behaviours and the types of vocalisations produced may serve as viable indicators of overall dog welfare.
Attributes
The student for this project must be motivated, organized and driven. They will also need very good communication skills to develop and maintain excellent relations with external partners. This project will best suit a student with an animal, behavioural, veterinary sciences or engineering background, although those from other relevant disciplines with strong prior performance will also be considered.
Requirements
The student must meet City University of Hong Kong requirements to be considered for a PhD studentship (https://www.cityu.edu.hk/pg/). Applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree in Animal, Behavioural or Veterinary Sciences, or Engineering. A relevant Masters degree or other demonstrated research experience is desirable. The researcher will be based at City University of Hong Kong. International students are required to provide evidence of their proficiency in English.
Contact and Deadline
Interested applicants are invited to submit a cover letter and short, 2-page CV, via email to Dr. McElligott on or before April 28th, 2022. CVs must include degree grade details and GPA scores, because they are a requirement of the graduate school admissions system of City University of Hong Kong. PhD start: January 2023
Dr. Alan McElligott, Associate Professor of Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
alan.mcelligott@cityu.edu.hk