Reducing methane from dairy cows using dietary fat without increasing milk free fatty acid concentration

Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Animal and Veterinary programme. The position is available from 01 March 2025 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title:
Reducing methane from dairy cows using dietary fat without increasing milk free fatty acid concentration

Research area and project description:
We are seeking a dedicated PhD student for a 3-year position within the topic of dietary fatty acid supplementation, milk quality, milk production, and methane production.

Supplementation with dietary fatty acids is a well-known strategy to increase both milk production and reduce methane production. However, feeding fat also impact milk composition and quality. Both supplementation with saturated fatty acids and increased milking frequency increase fat globule size, and increased fat globule size destabilise the fat globules, increasing the risk for increased free fatty acid (FFA) content which can make the milk rancid.

The PhD project will investigate the response to increased dietary levels of two types of saturated fat supplementation with 2 and 3 daily milkings on milk and methane production, and on the quality of the milk with focus on fat globule size and the robustness of the globules during mechanical treatment. Thereby, the PhD project will cover both milk quality and dairy cow nutrition.

The project offers:

• A unique possibility to contribute to a more climate friendly milk production
• A stimulating academic environment with access to state-of-the-art research facilities, both in dairy cow nutrition and in milk quality assessment
• Working with more research disciplines (dairy cow nutrition and food quality)

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 must have a relevant university degree (MSc) in either Animal Science, Food (dairy) Science, Agricultural Science, or related fields.
The candidate is expected to have:

• Interest in ruminant nutrition and digestion, and in milk quality, and understanding of at least one of those disciplines
• Experience with data analysis using at least one software.
• Experience in lab analytical work
• Ability and interest in collaborating across disciplines with project partners.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English.
• Good scientific and writing skills.

Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Research Center Foulum, Blichers allé 20, 8830 Tjele, Denmark and partly Department of Food Science, Agro Food Park 48, 8200 Aarhus N., Denmark.

Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:

• Martin Riis Weisbjerg, [email protected] (main supervisor)
• Lars Wiking, [email protected] (co-supervisor)

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

Application deadline is 31 December 2024 at 23:59 CET.

Preferred starting date is 01 March 2025.

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.