Fixed-term

Project Description We are inviting applications for a fully funded cross-disciplinary industrial partnership project. Successful candidates will work with researchers in animal nutrition and veterinary medicine and a leading animal nutrition company (Volac Milk Replacers). Calves fed higher milk replacer rations during the preweaning period have been shown to have: ·      Greater disease resistance ·      Better growth rates to weaning These benefits (higher growth rates), obtained before weaning, result in improved production (increased milk yield) and improved efficiency (reduced time to first calving). Feeding higher volumes of milk replacer pre-weaning could therefore be a successful strategy to meet industry average daily gain targets for Holstein dairy calves of 0.7 to 0.8 kg per day which are currently not met on many farms. Meeting growth rate targets in replacement heifer calves will have long-term benefits for farm profitability and sustainability, and improved efficiency will lead to lower carbon footprint per litre of milk. It remains to be determined if there is a long-term welfare, economic, and production benefit to feeding calves sufficient milk volume to exceed industry target weaning weight. Despite existing published literature, critical knowledge gaps remain: 1.      Are calves fed a higher volume of milk replacer solids more likely to be healthier in the preweaning period? 2.      Are calves fed a higher volume of milk replacer solids more likely to exceed ADG targets of 0.7 to 0.8 kg per day? 3.      What is the impact of increased milk replacer volume on starter intake and rumen development at weaning? 4.      Are calves fed a higher volume of milk replacer solids more likely to be more productive in terms of earlier conception and higher milk production in first lactation? 5.      Using life cycle analysis, what are the cost benefits in terms of economics and environmental impacts of feeding a higher volume of milk solids on milk production? The candidate will benefit from working with an interdisciplinary team and will gain training and skills from a wide range of expertise provided by the supervisors. Animal handling will include monitoring of health scores, bodyweights, fertility and production parameters. The student will gain experience in collecting farm field data, as well as laboratory experience and data analysis skills. The team have extensive experience with academic and industry led extension messaging and knowledge exchange events with farmers and veterinarians. The student would be actively encouraged to participate in knowledge exchange meetings with these groups both with the university and with Volac Milk Replacers. Additionally, they will contribute to publications and enhance communication through workshops, public engagement and conferences. The student will spend a proportion of their time (approximately 8 weeks) on secondment with the industrial partner. During secondment, the student will shadow and be trained by key employees in skills relating to dietary manufacturing and animal nutrition, including product development, formulation processing and manufacturing; nutritional rationing and dietary assessment (on–farm) and quality assurance We are looking for an enthusiastic, dynamic individual with good communication skills. Candidates should have a background in agriculture, veterinary medicine or animal nutrition, and should have experience working with farm animal species. This is a fantastic opportunity to make real word impact in animal nutrition. The project focuses on knowledge gaps around feeding calves milk replacer and future productivity. Project start dates: Earliest Start Date: 31/08/2026 – Latest Start Date: 31/10/2026 Funding Notes Stipend: Year 1 £22,383.00, year 2 £23,003.00, year 3 £23,641.00 and year 4 £12,648.50. Bench Fees: Year 1 £5,151.00, year 2 £5,301.00, year 3 £5,454.00 and year 4 £2,806.00. Apply Now

Project description Crohn’s disease is an incurable inflammatory condition of the gut associated with high morbidity, poor quality of life and significant healthcare costs. The current treatment options for Crohn’s disease include nutrition and immunosuppressant drug-based therapies. Up to 60% of patients will initially respond to these therapies; however around 20% of them will lose response every subsequent year. Hence, there is a need to develop novel combination and andjuct therapies for more effective and long-lasting disease control. Within a multicentre clinical trial, the PhD student will test nutritional therapies as an adjuvant to biological drug therapies to optimise treatment effectiveness, reduce disease activity and improve inflammatory markers in children with active Crohn’s disease. This PhD will also explore the effect of this novel combination therapy approach on host immune responses and the mediating role of habitual diet. This project may lead to the development of new, more potent and personalised, dietary therapies for children with Crohn’s disease. This PhD opportunity is a collaboration between academics in the University of Glasgow, clinicians from 6 children hospitals across Scotland and Nestle Health Sciences, a major industrial partner specialised in the production of proprietary nutritional therapies for the management of Crohn’s Disease. The student will be working in collaboration with another laboratory PhD student who will focus on the role of the gut microbiome in predicting responses to nutrition and drug-based therapies. The two students will be working in parallel, each with distinct individual objectives. Candidates should have a 2:1, preferably with relevant experience in dietetics/nutrition (preferably clinical nutrition), nursing or another healthcare profession. During the course of the PhD, the student will receive training in conducting and co-ordinating clinical trials, dietary assessment, clinical nutrition and dietetics, and clinical medicine. The student will work in partnership with the National Health Service. Dietary assessment will be performed using both conventional and novel dietary assessment methods. A panel of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines will be measured and a comprehensive immunophenotype of peripheral blood mononuclear cells will be performed. The student will gain experience in cutting-edge research within a multidisciplinary team (School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing) working at the interface of clinical medicine, nutrition, dietetics, food science, bioinformatics and laboratory based research. The student will also be in close interaction with the industrial partner involved in this study and will exchange knowledge with them regularly, offering a unique industrial slant to this research post. NOTE: Once you apply through the online portal, please forward your application reference number and CV to Konstantinos.gerasimidis@glasgow.ac.uk. Funding Notes This prestigious studentship covers tuition fees, an annual stipend in excess of the UKRI rate at £24,000 per year for 3.5 years of studies and a generous budget for study running costs. This studentship offers only Home fees for UK students or students who are eligible for Home fees (e.g. those with settled status or of Irish citizenship). Suitable students should have as a minimum an upper second-class honours BSc. Apply Now