PhD candidate for the Animal Welfare Program

IRTA; Sant Sadurní de l'Heura; On-site; EUR 19,656 - 26,325; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible schedule

Continuous training opportunities

Personal days

Family & work conciliation days

Job summary

A research institution in Cataluña seeks a PhD Candidate for their Animal Welfare Program in Sant Sadurní de l'Heura. The successful applicant will design and conduct studies on cattle welfare during slaughter, aiming to improve understanding of stunning methods and meat quality. The role requires a Bachelor's in Veterinary Medicine and is open to candidates with a Master's in related fields. A supportive and flexible work environment emphasizes professional development over the 4-year contract, which offers competitive remuneration and additional personal days.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, Master's in related fields preferred.
• Must meet Catalan universities' doctoral program requirements.
• Driving license and car necessary.
• No previous PhD degree allowed.
• Basic statistics knowledge required.

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct experimental studies on animal welfare.
• Collect behavioral and physiological data.
• Perform data management and analysis.
• Provide supervision and improvements for experiments.
• Engage in scientific writing.

Skills

Teamwork

Proficiency in English

Interest in animal welfare

Adaptability to multidisciplinary environments

Education

Bachelor's degree in Veterinary Medicine

Master's degree in Agronomy, Animal Science, Biology or equivalent

Tools

Boris software

Job description

We are looking for a PhD Candidate to join the Animal Welfare Program team, based in Monells (Girona). We offer the opportunity to be part of an organization with a dynamic, collaborative work environment focused on professional development.

We invite applications from motivated candidates who have passion for research and are willing to join our team. The research project is pioneering in the field of Cattle Welfare during the slaughter process. Experimental studies will be conducted both under experimental and commercial conditions by collecting behavioural, physiological and brain activity data to assess animal welfare at slaughter. The effects of stunning methods on meat quality will be also evaluated.

Responsibilities

• Collaboration in the design of the methodology and procedure of the experiments
• Collection of experimental data: behaviour, electroencephalograph (EEG), electrocardiograph (ECG)
• Data management and analysis
• Scientific writing
• Supervision of experimental development and provision of refinement or improvements
• Supervision of the students involved in these experiments

Required qualifications and experience

• A bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine; a master’s degree in Agronomy, Animal Science, Biology, or a related field.
• To be in a position to access a doctoral programme according to the requirements of Catalan universities, i.e. accrediting between 60 and 120 ECTS credits at the official university master's degree level or equivalent.
• Driving licence and car
• Not to have a previous PhD degree.
• Proficiency in English
• Strong teamwork skills, ability to adapt to multidisciplinary environments and a focus on professional growth and development.
• Interest and experience in animal welfare at slaughter
• Interest in learning EEG and ECG methodology and analysis of data
• Certificate of competence as researcher able to use animals in experimentation
• Basic knowledge in statistics
• Basic knowledge on Boris software or simitars.
• Catalan and Spanish are valued.

Advantages

• Terms of appointment: 4 years
• Contract: The financial remuneration for the PhD Candidate contract will be 19,656,35€/gross per annum and for the first and second years. For this third year, it will be €21,060,37€/gross per annum and for the fourth year it will be €26,325,47€/gross per annum which will be subject to the corresponding withholdings, pursuant to prevailing regulations, and to the collective employment agreement of IRTA. IRTA will also pay the fees of the doctoral school when receiving the enrolment. (1)

Note: The em tag was used for emphasis in the original; it has been removed in this refinement.

• 37.5 hour workweek, with Friday afternoons off
• Intensive work schedule from 15/06 to 15/09
• 3 days of family & work conciliation
• 45 hours of personal days
• Flexible Schedule for a good work-life balance.
• Continuous training and professional growth opportunities.

Please know that if you are the chosen candidate and you are from a country which does not belong to the UE, IRTA’s People Department will support you to get the residence and working permits.

Instructions to Apply

If you wish to be considered for this position and believe you meet the requirements, please send your CV and motivation letter.

Equal opportunity

Equal treatment and equal opportunities are guaranteed for all candidates in the selection process, avoiding stereotypes, bias or barriers linked to gender, sexual orientation, origin, age, ideology, or any other potentially discriminatory condition. The organization also ensures inclusion commitment toward vulnerable groups, and the first round of the selection process is reserved for candidates with functional diversity.

Timings in the Recruitment Process

Curricular assessment: The candidate’s qualifications and merits will be evaluated according to the criteria established in the job offer.

Interview(s): These will be conducted by a Selection Committee to assess the candidate’s suitability in terms of professional experience and competencies.

Additional tests (if applicable): Depending on the position profile and the needs of the process, specific competency-based tests and/or a psychometric test may be included in order to more accurately assess the suitability of the candidates.

Start of contract: May 2026 (approximately)

(1) The financial remuneration of the PhD Candidate contract may not be less than 56% of the salary established for the category of Research Collaborator F of the Collective Agreement of the IRTA during the first two years, 60% in the third year and 75% in the fourth.