Innovative research at the interplay of the bio economy, agriculture, environmental and climate protection as well as animal welfare and animal health - the Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN) offers ca. 300 employees the opportunity to conduct interdisciplinary basic and applied research. Developing sustainable livestock farming in a globalized world is a complex task. Efficiency and conservation of resources, taking into account local and global environmental and climate impacts are just as much in focus as the welfare and health of the animals and the safety of the food obtained from them.

The Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN) stands for excellent research in international, multidisciplinary teams, modern infrastructure and a colloquial atmosphere. Our green, natural campus near Rostock, a cosmopolitan city by the sea, offers our employees an attractive working environment in which they are valued and respected.

The FBN is looking for a:

PhD student (m/f/d)

(subject to the final approval of the funds) for a limited period of 3 years starting at the earliest possible date. If the personal and collective agreement requirements are met, the salary will be paid according to

Pay group E 13 TV-L (65%)

What to expect:

The candidate will contribute their expertise to scientific projects and further tasks of the working group “Animal Behaviour and Welfare”. The primary focus will be on the automation of the procedural features of cognitive tests, as well as the automation of the behavioural coding and analysis in tasks central to assessing affective states, specifically a judgement bias task in pigs and attention bias task in goats. Their work will contribute to our group’s focus on the development and assessment of behavioural indicators of affective states in farm animals. The pursuit of own research topics within this framework is also supported.

Required qualification and general skills

• Master’s degree, diploma or comparable qualification in data science, machine learning or related fields

• Experience with programming and statistical software such as Python, C++ and/or R

• Ability to (co)develop behavioural experiments and analysis tools

• High motivation and ability to work in an international team as well as very good English skills (oral and written)

  are essential

• Willingness to learn German basics (to communicate with, for example, staff in experimental facilities)

  Additional beneficial qualifications and skills

  • Interest and experience in behavioural analysis, with a focus on farm animals

  • Previous experience in presenting and publishing research findings

What we offer:

At the FBN, a committed and multidisciplinary team welcomes you. With us, decision paths are short, agreements are binding and reliable. We support you not only with a structured onboarding, but also with your questions about arriving and feeling at home in the Rostock region. In addition to the benefits of employment in the public sector, such as the additional pension scheme (VBL), we are proud of our certified family-friendliness. Flexible working hours and the possibility to mobile working are self-evident for us. Thanks to our cooperation with the local kindergarten and parent-child rooms, employees with children can also find optimal working conditions with us. Our Dummerstorf site is located in a rural idyll just a few minutes' drive from the Hanseatic and university city of Rostock, where you can spend the evening on the white Baltic Sea beach or in the lively centre with its numerous restaurants, museums and stages.

If you would like to become part of our team, we look forward to receiving your application. The FBN aims to raise the female representation and is urgently inviting women to apply. Applications from disabled people are explicitly welcome.

For further information, please contact Dr Düpjan (Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken.) or Dr Nawroth (nawroth@fbn- dummerstorf.de).

Please send us your application only by e-mail to: Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken..

Please be sure to quote the job number 2024-01 in your application.

Finally, it should be noted that we are not allowed to reimburse application or travel expenses in connection with the application. By submitting your application, you consent to the processing of your personal data for the purpose of the application procedure.

For more information about the FBN, please visit www.fbn-dummerstorf.de.