PhD position for the Odor-Based Selective Recognition of Veterinary Disease (OBSeRVeD) project (1.0 FTE)

Job description
Are you the PhD candidate that would like to apply knowledge and expertise for the development of an e-nose for use on poultry farms within the project Odor-Based Selective Recognition of Veterinary Disease (OBSeRVeD)? Do you have a strong affiliation with technical innovations as well as farm animal health? And would you like to work in a multidisciplinary team with other researchers from different universities and universities of applied sciences and in close collaboration with poultry farmers and farmers' advisors, societal organisations and industrial partners? If the answer is yes to these questions, please look at the positions that we have to offer at Utrecht University and Wageningen University & Research.

Within the NWO funded NWA-ORC project OBSeRVeD, we aim to develop an innovative electronic nose that can recognize specific molecules or a combination of specific Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) for early detection of poultry disease. This will facilitate early, and more effective interventions, which will reduce the need for antibiotics and chemicals and will reduce the impacts on animal and public health and welfare. In total, seven PhD students and four postdocs will be appointed at Utrecht University, Delft University of Technology, University of Twente, Radboud University, Saxion University of Applied Sciences and Wageningen University & Research. They will collaborate closely with each other and with our partners, including Fontys and The Hague University of Applied Sciences, and several companies specialized in sensor or data platform technology, poultry feed, poultry veterinary service or farm hygiene industry. Utrecht University (UU) and Wageningen University & Research (WUR) collectively seek and will supervise a PhD candidate (appointed at UU) and a postdoc (appointed at WUR) to collaborate with each other, (industry) partners, and the other PhD candidates and postdocs appointed at the other knowledge institutes for the poultry scientific part of the OBSeRVeD project.

To read more about OBSeRVeD, see the following links:

As PhD candidate you will be involved in the collection of air, faecal and other animal or farm samples from chicken farms and (feed or infection) experiments for testing for VOCs by Radboud University. Standard veterinary diagnostic tests will be conducted and analysed for comparisons with VOC test results. You will contribute to the identification of novel biomarkers associated with target molecules or metabolites related to intestinal functioning. During the process of (field and experimental) sample and data collection, information on sensor preferences of farmers and other stakeholders will be collected for the further development of the prototypes by the other institutes in this project.

Qualifications
A suitable PhD candidate for this project:

holds a Master's degree in Animal Science, Veterinary Medicine, Medicine, Biomedical sciences, Biology, or Life Sciences;
is motivated to contribute to chicken health and welfare within the context of the livestock industry;
embraces the idea of using technology and data science to develop innovations in life sciences;
has affinity with and/or experience in the fields of animal or poultry health and disease, epidemiology, microbiome or metabolome analyses, bio-informatics or other related fields;
is eager to work in a multidisciplinary team in the Netherlands;
has excellent organizational and communication skills in English and preferably also in Dutch;
is flexible and can easily adapt to different working environments and is preferably mobile (drivers licence).

Field work and animal experimentation (with chickens) is part of this project.

Offer
You will be offered a temporary position (0.8 - 1.0 FTE), initially for one year with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period. The gross salary ranges between €2,541 in the first year and €3,247 in the fourth year of employment (scale P according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year.

In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive retirement scheme, (partly paid) parental leave and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). Furthermore, we are open to combinations with an existing employment in a relevant field, exchange opportunities with other partners in the project and/or including specific trainings or courses to facilitate development of the candidate in specific areas. For more information, please visit working at Utrecht University.

About the organization
A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine has a unique position in the Netherlands. Not only is this the only institution where veterinarians are trained, researchers are also working together on innovative scientific research. In addition, the faculty provides specialist clinical care in the largest academic veterinary hospital in Europe. Thanks to this position, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is a point of contact for all veterinary matters, both nationally and increasingly internationally. The faculty employs approximately 900 veterinarians, scientists and support staff and counts 1.500 students.

The position will be at the Department Population Health Sciences-Farm Animal Health Unit. You will be part of the Veterinary Epidemiology group that closely collaborates with the Sustainable Poultry and Pig group, consisting of veterinarians, epidemiologists, infectious disease modellers, statisticians and economists.

Additional information
For more information about this position, please contact Francisca Velkers (Assistant Professor), via f.c.velkers@uu.nl or +31 30 253 12 48. Please do NOT send your application to this email address.

Apply
Everyone deserves to feel at home at our university. We welcome employees with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives.

To apply, please send your Curriculum Vitae, including a letter of motivation via the '

https://link.inhroffice.com/a8...

' button.

There is flexibility in the worktime (FTE), depending on the applicants’ preferences, background and career plans. Applicants are expected to outline their plans and wishes in the application letter accordingly. Feel free to contact us when you are not able to meet the application deadline but are interested in the position. Interviews will most likely take place at the end of December or the first weeks of January.

The application deadline is
13/12/2022

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Universiteit Utrecht

PhD position for the Odor-Based Selective Recognition of Veterinary Disease

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Universiteit Utrecht

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