PhD in Quantitative Genetics: Novel breeding goals and optimized breeding schemes for beef cattle breeds to be used on dairy cows

Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Quantitative Genetics and Genomics programme. The position is available from 1 November 2024 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title
PhD in Quantitative Genetics: Novel breeding goals and optimized breeding schemes for beef cattle breeds to be used on dairy cows

Research area and project description
Producing beef calves by mating dairy cows of low genetic merit with beef bulls has become a popular crossbreeding strategy among Danish dairy farmers. These crossbred calves have a higher economic value than dairy surplus calves and a much lower environmental footprint than beef calves produced in suckler production systems.

Beef bulls to be used on dairy cows have a different profile than those selected for purebred suckling systems. They must ensure easy born, vigorous and healthy calves and compensate weaknesses of dairy breeds with respect to growth and carcass conformation. Novel traits of interest for the whole beef supply chain are now to be considered with a focus on feed efficiency, methane emissions and meat quality.

This Ph.D. project will contribute to the definition of cutting-edge breeding goals for beef breeds used in Beef x Dairy production systems and to the optimization of breeding schemes to maximize selection response for the different traits in focus. This project will be carried out in close collaboration with other departments at Aarhus University (AniVet, AGRO) and with industrial partners. Outcomes of this research will be implemented in practical breeding programs.

You will:

• Further develop a bioeconomic model to estimate economic values for traits relevant for beef x dairy production systems
• Use these economic values to define tailored breeding goals for beef x dairy crossbreeding systems that also consider other factors (market trends, fitness of pure breeds, environmental impacts).
• Model breeding schemes to find optimal structures that maximizes response by combining genomic selection and reproductive biotechnologies for a given budget

To undertake your research, you will have access to state-of-the-art simulation software and computing facilities, and to large-scale phenotypic and genomic datasets collected on beef x dairy crossbred calves.

Project description. For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please simply copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.

Qualifications and specific competences
Applicants to the PhD position must hold a relevant Master’s degree (120 ECTS) in a relevant field (quantitative genetics, statistical genetics, animal science, agrobiology, or another related field).

• Have a keen interest in animal breeding and genetics, as a component of sustainable agricultural systems
• Be enthusiastic for scientific research, and be able to work in a large and diverse group of researchers and industry partners
• Have sufficient experience in a scientific programming language (e.g. R, Python)
• Be fluent in English (written and spoken)
• Advanced writing and presentation skills, and strong organisational and communication skills
• Ability to work independently

Place of employment and place of work
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Centre for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, C. F. Møllers Allé 3, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.

Contacts
Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:

• Hanne Marie Nielsen, [email protected] (main supervisor)
• Alban Bouquet, [email protected] (co-supervisor)

How to apply
Please follow this link to submit your application.

Application deadline is 1 September 2024 at 23:59 CEST

Preferred starting date is 1 November 2024

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.

Please note:

• Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be taken into account.
• The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
• Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.