PhD/Masters Elevate Scholarship - CQUniversity and Meat and Livestock Australia (External)
Join Australia’s leading precision livestock team and conduct animal production research across northern Australia. Work with researchers and station managers to understand key animal behaviours that improve welfare and productivity. Develop skills in advanced data analytics that will prepare you for a career in an increasingly data-driven research sector. Great opportunities exist to improve livestock production using digital technologies, particularly within the Australian beef cattle industry. Precision livestock technologies can support graziers in monitoring and managing their livestock, especially in rangeland production systems where changes in behaviours may go unnoticed. This PhD/masters will focus on developing sensors that capture and classify animal behaviour data in grazing systems and explore how environmental and landscape pressures impact animal welfare and productivity. It forms part of Meat and Livestock Australia’s northern Breeding Business (NB2; https://bit.ly/3u9sXyt) program which aims to deliver strategies to reduce calf mortality in northern Australia. Supervised by a collaborative team across CQUniversity’s Institute for Future Farming Systems Precision Livestock Management Group (led by Professor Mark Trotter https://bit.ly/3yqSHJ1) and CQUniversity’s School of Engineering and Technology, (led by Professor Steve Moore), the project will be based in Rockhampton. The opportunity will provide the successful applicant with a suite of highly desirable soft and hard research skills, practical animal handling skills and on-station experience in northern Australia, providing a solid foundation for a career in applied, producer-driven, livestock research.
Scholarship Value: $24,000 to $45,000 stipend per annum (dependent on the course and candidate's skills and experience)
Length of Scholarship: 2 to 3 years (dependent on the course)
Number Available: 1
Opening Date: 12 December 2022
Closing Date: 30 June 2023
| Study Level | Postgraduate (Research) |
|---|---|
| Year of Study | Future; First year |
| Citizenship | Any |
| Ethnicity | Any |
| Study Region | Rockhampton Queensland |
| Study Mode | On-campus |
| Study Load | Full time |
| Gender | Any |
- Applicants have completed, or are about to complete, a bachelor’s degree with honours and/or a master's degree by research in animal science, veterinary bioscience, rural science, agricultural science or equivalent.
- Applicants should have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of above 6, but lower GPAs may be considered under special circumstances. Please reach out to discuss
- Applicants from non-English speaking backgrounds should have an IELTS overall band score of 7.5, scoring 7 or higher across all bands.
- Applicants from English-speaking backgrounds should be able to demonstrate a high level of written and verbal communication.
The successful applicant can demonstrate:
- experience in handling ruminant livestock
- some data management and analysis capability.
- a positive attitude and desire to work in a research group determined to revolutionize the way livestock are managed in grazing systems!
- a willingness to relocate to Rockhampton Australia
- a willingness to travel for fieldwork
The successful applicant may demonstrate:
- experience in a scientific programming language (e.g. R or Python),
- experience undertaking fieldwork in rangeland or extensive pastoral grazing systems.
Experience with on-animal sensor systems (e.g. GPS tracking, accelerometer activity sensors or equivalent) is not essential, we can teach you this bit!
Applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Thomas Williams (t.m.williams@cqu.edu.au), indicating their intention to apply. Then, applicants should submit a cover letter addressing the selection criteria, and a CV (max 4 pages).
Applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Thomas Williams, indicating their intention to apply. Then, applicants should submit a cover letter addressing the selection criteria, and a CV (max 4 pages).
Please send applications to:
Professor Steve Moore - s.moore@cqu.edu.au;
Professor Mark Trotter - m.trotter@cqu.edu.au; and,
Dr Thomas Williams – t.m.williams@cqu.edu.au
Shortlisted applicants may be invited to participate in an online interview.
Unsuccessful applicants will be notified by email and if appropriate will be contacted for future opportunities.