Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Animal Science programme. The position is available from 1 December 2023 or later.
Title:
PhD in Health and feeding management for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions in dairy herds
Research area and project description:
Are you passionate about contributing to a sustainable future for dairy farms and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions? Join our engaged team working on innovative management solutions and economic analyses for the green transition of dairy production. The Ph.D. position is available from 1st December 2023 or later.
The primary objective of this Ph.D. project is to identify and evaluate management strategies for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in dairy herds. To achieve this, the project will conduct field experiments and herd-level economic analyses.
The project will begin with a dairy herd field experiment on management of body condition during few weeks before the dry period until few weeks after calving. The study will apply new video technologies for measuring body condition and feed intake of the individual cow. The aim is to provide knowledge to reduce health problems, increase productivity, and thereby reduce the greenhouse gas emissions as fewer cows are needed to produce the same amount of milk.
Building on the field experiment and results from other studies, the effects on climate and farm-economy of improving different management strategies such as disease prevention feed formulations, reproduction, and culling, will be studied by using herd simulations.
By assessing the potential benefits and costs of each management strategy, the research aims to provide valuable insights to policymakers, dairy farmers, and the agricultural industry. In this way the results will facilitate the adoption of sustainable on-farm-practices that contribute both to climate change mitigation and to enhancing the financial competitiveness of dairy farms.
The Ph.D. project is a part of national and EU initiatives focused on the green transition of dairy production through improved herd health management. This includes active involvement in the 'European Partnership on Animal Health and Welfare,' particularly in 'Assessing the economic and societal burden of selected priority diseases and production diseases.'
As a Ph.D. student, you will be employed in the Section for Management and Modeling. Here, we collaborate on various national and international projects to develop advanced methods and tools for herd management. Our goal is to promote animal welfare, green transition, and economic viability for a sustainable future.
- Project description: For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please simply copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.
Qualifications and specific competences:We expect that you hold a relevant master’s degree. Candidates with background in animal science, veterinary science, biology, and ecology are preferred.
Place of employment and place of work:The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Animal Science at Blichers Allé 20, 8830 Tjele
Contacts:Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:
Professor Søren Østergaard at
Soren.ostergaard@anivet.au.dk (main supervisor)
How to apply:Please follow
this link to submit your application. Application deadline is 15 October 2023 23:59 CEST. Preferred starting date is 1 December 2023.
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our
application guide.
Please note:
- Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be taken into account.
- The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
- Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.
Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.