PhD Studentship: Optimising management strategies within dairy cow-calf contact systems

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Salary: As per advert Post Type: Full Time Contract Type: Fixed Term - 36 Months - Up to 36 months Closing Date: 23.59 hours BST on Sunday 30 April 2023 Reference: RD-PHD-01-AB-DVC-MH

Project Title: Optimising management strategies within dairy cow-calf contact systems

Supervisory team: Dr Annabelle Beaver ( Director of Studies ), Dr Gemma Charlton, and Dr Emma Bleach

36 month funded studentship.

The expected start date for the studentship will be the beginning of October 2023. The student will be registered for a PhD at Harper Adams University and based at Harper Adams University, Edgmond, Shropshire, UK. The studentship will cover the current Home tuition fee rate plus a yearly stipend set at the UKRI figure – currently £17,668 per year (2022/23 academic year) with an expected small increase from September 2023.

International applicants would need to be able to fund the difference between Home and Overseas fees which will be £10,890 for the 2023/24 academic year with the first year's fee's being paid in full before Visa documentation can be issued.

Project Description:

This PhD project offers the opportunity to gain expert-level knowledge of dairy cow-calf contact (CCC) systems and to conduct essential research into optimising CCC management practices. Separating neonates from the dam within 24 hours is routine practice on dairy farms in the UK and other parts of the world. However, interest in CCC is increasing, both from the perspective of dairy consumers and farmers 1,2. Dairy producers already implementing CCC systems tend to view them favourably; in addition to perceived benefits for calf health and welfare, these farmers cite reduced workload and efficient management as key advantages 1,3. In contrast, conventional farmers often cite feasibility as a barrier to adoption of CCC systems. A lack of knowledge and guidance surrounding optimal management practices represents a potential barrier towards more widespread uptake of dairy CCC systems.

Therefore, the first aim of this PhD project is to better understand cow-calf rearing practices implemented across the UK. The successful applicant will evaluate both the prevalence and efficacy of management decisions related to cow-calf rearing. Other knowledge gaps uncovered in the 2019 systematic reviews of cow-calf systems 4,5 will then be addressed using observational analytic work on the identified CCC farms.

In tandem with optimising on-farm feasibility, social sustainability must also be considered. The successful applicant will survey the UK public to assess the suitability of specific CCC management decisions from a consumer perspective. Social sustainability is one of the three Sustainability Pillars, but has arguably received the least attention 6. Although public attitudes do not directly affect cattle welfare on farm, these values greatly influence retailers, who have a significant voice in determining which welfare standards are enforced 7. Further mixed-methods research is needed to understand stakeholder attitudes towards specific management practices. During this PhD project, the successful applicant will gain expertise in on-farm data collection, hone skills in both qualitative and quantitative research methods, and contribute to the growing body of research on CCC systems.

References:

Requirements :

Applicants must hold a minimum of an upper second class (2:1) honours degree, or equivalent.

Applicants must possess the ability to work as part of a research team as well as take responsibility for their own research programme.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate evidence of experience carrying out relevant experiments and data analysis.

Applicants should have strong written communication skills. Please provide an example of your scientific writing as part of this application.

Desirable:

A relevant Master's degree

Knowledge of a statistical programming language, such as R or SAS

Familiarity with survey research

Previous experience with cattle

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Harper Adams University is one of the premier UK Higher Education institutions focused on the land-based and food supply chain sector. With around 2,800 undergraduate students, plus those completing postgraduate, research and CPD programmes, Harper Adams University is the UK's largest single provider of higher education for these subjects. Programmes fall into eleven broad subject areas – but none operate in isolation. Community and collaboration are key at Harper Adams, meaning everyone, including staff, students and industry partners, benefits from a close network of knowledge and opportunity exchange. Situated in Shropshire, the campus and the surrounding area provide an excellent working and living environment for staff and students alike.

Harper Adams is consistently positioned highly in a range of national ratings, performance measures and league tables. The University has been the highest performing modern university in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide for the last four years, climbing to 17th place in the overall league table. In the 2020 guide Harper Adams was named Modern University of the Year and runner-up University of the Year. In the 2019 Whatuni? Student Choice Awards, based on student reviews, Harper Adams won the Student Support category for the fifth time – the only university to have taken the title since the awards began - and won the category for best job prospects for a fourth year running. In the 2020 QS World Rankings for Agriculture and Forestry published in March 2020, Harper Adams was ranked first in the UK for academic reputation and second in the world for its reputation with employers.

Applied research is at the heart of the university's activity, with the work of a thriving academic community underpinning both teaching and work with the industries allied to Harper. The 2014 Government Research Excellence Framework rated all of the university's research as “of international quality”, and more than half was deemed “world leading” or “internationally excellent”.

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