Researchers in animal welfare and cognition

Department of Biosystems and Technology

The Department of Biosystems and Technology at SLU is looking for a researcher in animal welfare and cognition.

The service is located at the Department of Biosystems and Technology (BT), SLU Alnarp, in Prof. Rørvang's research group in animal welfare and behaviour in farm animals. BT brings together expertise in ethology, animal science, veterinary medicine, technology and computer science.

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) conducts research and education on the interaction between humans, animals and ecosystems and on the use of natural resources. The main locations are Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, with activities also at research stations and educational centres throughout the country.

About the job

The service involves leading a research project to develop and validate an automated, non-invasive device to measure welfare conditions in pigs. The service is mainly located at SLU Alnarp, but also includes collaboration with a research group in the UK and requires the service holder to work abroad for longer periods, up to several consecutive months.

The tasks include: design and implementation of cognitive test paradigms and development of equipment together with engineers and computational neuroscientists at the host institution; statistical and computational modelling of behavioral data (including Bayesian methods); data collection on farms in collaboration with producers; scientific publishing and dissemination; teaching within SLU courses.

Qualifications

Requirements:

• This is an early career position for researchers: applicants must have completed their doctoral degree within four years from the start of their employment

• Doctoral degree in biology, ethology, behavioral neuroscience or related field, focusing on animal cognition, emotions or human-animal interaction

• Experience of using techniques such as IRT, EEG and HRV sensors to assess physiological, neurological and affective conditions in animals

• Experience of designing and conducting comparative behavioural studies across species boundaries, in addition to traditional laboratory rodents

• Documented experience of independently conducting large-scale field studies in several locations with external stakeholders such as farmers or animal owners

• Knowledge of advanced quantitative methods of behavioral data, including Bayesian statistics

• Very good ability to express yourself in speech and writing in English, as well as ability to work and communicate with international research partners and agricultural stakeholders

• Willingness and ability to travel and work abroad for longer periods, several consecutive months at a time, as a result of the project's collaboration with a British research group

• Teaching experience at bachelor, master and doctoral level

Crediting:

• Experience of standardised facial expression coding (e.g. FACS-based methods) to assess emotional conditions in animals

• Experience of working with farm animals and production environments

• Established scientific network relevant to the project's host and home research teams

• Documented experience in science communication and public engagement

• Experience of mentoring bachelor, master or doctoral students

This is a specialised research position. Applicants are expected to meet almost all of the above criteria in order to implement the project's work plan, from equipment development work to validation on farms.

About us

More information about the department: https://www.slu.se/om-slu/organisation/institutioner/biosystem-teknologi/

Read more about our benefits and what it's like to work at SLU at https://www.slu.se/om-slu/jobba-pa-slu/

Location:

Alnarp. Longer periods of work abroad (UK) are required in connection with the project's international cooperation.

Form of employment:

For the purposes of this Decision, the following definitions shall apply: SLU may apply probationary employment.

Scope:

100%

Access:

1 December 2026

Application:

Welcome with your application, including CV, publication list and personal letter describing your relevant research experience, via the application button below by 2026-10-08.

Trade unions:

https://internt.slu.se/min-anstallning/facket/kontaktpersoner/

Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet (SLU) har en nyckelroll i utvecklingen för hållbart liv, grundad i vetenskap och utbildning. Genom vårt fokus på samspelen mellan människa, djur och ekosystem och ett ansvarsfullt brukande av naturresurserna bidrar vi till en hållbar samhällsutveckling och goda livsvillkor på vår planet. Huvudorter är Alnarp, Umeå och Uppsala, men verksamhet bedrivs också på forskningsstationer, försöksparker och utbildningsorter i hela landet. SLU har drygt 4000 medarbetare, 6000 studenter och forskarstuderande och en omsättning på över 4,5 miljarder kronor. Universitetet satsar på attraktiva miljöer på sina campusområden. Vi arbetar för en jämställd och inkluderande arbetsmiljö där öppna samtal mellan människor med olika erfarenheter lägger grunden för vetenskaplighet, kreativitet och utveckling. Vi välkomnar därför personer med olika bakgrunder och perspektiv att söka den aktuella anställningen.