PhD position “Development of automatic monitoring of dairy cow and calf behaviour”

About the PhD Fellowship

Faculty of biosciences and aquaculture, Nord University, Norway, invites applications from outstanding candidates for a three-year PhD position in animal science.

Join an innovative PhD project tackling one of dairy farming’s most debated welfare challenges: early cow–
calf separation. By the development of AI-based tools to measure cow–calf interactions, the project aims to
generate new scientific insights into CCC systems and contribute to future welfare policy for cow-calf housing.
If you are interested in the cross-section of animal behaviour research and automatic animal monitoring – this
project is for you! The project will include an animal trial at the Livestock Production Research Centre, NMBU, Ås, Norway and the successful candidates will be expected to travel for research stays, courses and conferences.

The successful candidate will be part of one of the academic divisions Animal Science, Production and Welfare.

This is a three-year contract based in Steinkjer, Trøndelag, Norway.

Qualification requirements

• A completed master’s degree that meets the admission requirements, relevant academic backgrounds
  include ethology, animal or veterinary science, computer engineering or other closely related disciplines
• Good English skills, both written and oral

Skills

• Experience in conducting farm animal trials and knowledge of fundamental ethology in farm animals
• Knowledge of data handling, with some exposure to big-data workflows or modelling
• Good communication and interpersonal skills

Candidates who already have a PhD degree will not be considered for the position.

Qualified applicants will be ranked according to the following criteria:

• Theme and perspectives from the applicant’s master’s project
• The applicant’s description of motivation for the doctoral work and opportunities for completion
• Personal suitability and scientific integrity
• Relevant experience from research work
• Ability to work independently, goal-oriented and systematically

We offer

The annual salary for doctoral researchers (code 1017) is NOK 550 800,-.

• Advantages within the Government Pension Fund for loans, insurance and pension
• Creative and collegial working environment
• A workplace with progressive development
• Flexible working hours
• Active university sports team

General information

The person who is appointed must abide by the applicable laws, agreements, and directives. The responsibilities and duties associated with the position may change with future reorganization at Nord University.

Nord University is subject to the Security Act, which sets requirements for the handling of classified and sensitive information. To increase security in the hiring process, Nord may conduct background checks on relevant candidates.

The public sector workforce is expected to reflect the diversity of the population in general. Nord University therefore encourages qualified candidates with disabilities, gaps in their CV, immigrant backgrounds or different life experience to apply.

If applicants indicate they have disabilities or gaps in their CV, their details may be used anonymously for the purposes of governmental annual review

Application process

Applicants will be evaluated by an internal expert committee. Relevant applicants will be invited for an interview, trial lecture or other presentations. For more information, see Nord`s website .

The Faculty reserve the right not to hire applicants who may be scientifically qualified but who do not meet other criteria such as language, educational background or personal characteristics

Application

Applications must be submitted electronically by 15.05.2026.

The application should include:

• Application letter with description of your motivation for applying for the position
• Complete CV (education, work and teaching experience and overview of any scientific publications)
• Copy of the applicant’s master’s thesis
• Copy of diploma for both bachelor and master education and relevant certificates
  • Applicants with education from countries outside Scandinavia with diplomas issued in a language other than English, must enclose witnessed diplomas in both the original language and authorized English translations
  • Applicants from outside the EU/EEA must submit HK-dir approval of their master´s degree
• Project description of 3-5 pages where you explain the idea for the PhD project, including theoretical anchoring, methodological approach, expected outcomes and a clear time line of the whole PhD project.
• Name and contact information of 1-3 references (name, your relation to the person, email and phone number)
• Other activity that is considered relevant for the position, and wishes to be taken into account in the assessment

All documents must be uploaded as attachments as a PDF files to the electronic application form.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to submit the complete documentation within the deadline. Failure to include items mentioned above will automatically render the candidate unqualified.

After the application period has expired a list of applicants will be published. Note that, in special cases, the identity of particular applicants to a position may be made public even when that applicant has requested that their application be processed confidentially. Applicants requesting an exemption from publication of their identity must explain their reasons for doing so in their application. In this case, advance notice will be given in the event of a decision to make any information about the applicant public.