The University is seeking a highly motivated Research Assistant in Animal Behavior and Welfare to support the delivery of a multi-institutional dairy cow calf raising project funded by the USDA. This position is a part-time, 0.6 FTE, fixed-term position.

The overarching goal of this international partnership project is to use a multidimensional approach to evaluate the effects of early versus late separation on cow and calf welfare. The appointee will contribute to achieving Objective 1 of the project, which focuses on the acute effects of separating a cow from her calf on time and activity budgets, stress behaviors and physiological outcomes.

The appointee will have a specific role in developing and refining charts, coding videos of cow and calf behavior, analyzing behavioral data, and preparing manuscripts. Please note that the bulk of this work will be office based.

Summary of responsibilities:

• The primary responsibility of this designated person will be coding pre-collected video footage of cows and calves, using software such as BORIS (Behavioral Observational Research Interactive Software).

The appointed person is also expected to:

• Identify recent and relevant literature on breeding and separation of dairy cow calves, to assist in developing charts and understanding relevant behavioral outcomes
• Conduct inter- and intra-observer reliability tests throughout the process
• Visualize and analyze the resulting behavioral data
• If desired, participate in manuscript preparation

The successful candidate will ideally hold a Bachelor’s degree (2:1 or equivalent) or Master’s degree in a relevant field such as Ethology, Animal Behavior and Welfare or Animal Science (First Class Hons).

For more information about the university or to see the full job description, please click the ‘Apply’ button above.

Application procedures:

Please apply online through Harper Adams e-Recruitment at http://jobs.harper-adams.ac.uk Submit your CV and personal statement demonstrating your suitability for this role. Your personal statement should clearly demonstrate how your skills, experience and achievements meet the requirements set out in the person specification. Applications that do not contain a personal statement may not be considered

If you require any amendments to complete your application for this role, please get in touch vacationagency@harper-adams.ac.uk

If you do not yet have the right to work in the UK and/or are seeking sponsorship for a UK Skilled Worker visa, please follow this link https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration Which contains more information about getting the right to work in the UK and details about eligibility for a skilled worker visa.