Research Associate In Poultry Welfare

Newcastle University; North East; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK university is seeking a Post-Doctoral Research Associate to explore stress resilience mechanisms in laying hens. The position involves immunohistochemistry work and collaborations across multiple countries. Candidates should have a PhD in relevant fields, with experience in animal welfare and analytical skills essential. The post is fixed term for 3 years and 2 months and offers a competitive salary in an inclusive environment.

Benefits

Generous holiday package

Health and wellbeing initiatives

Pension schemes

Qualifications

• Experience studying adult hippocampal neurogenesis in poultry.
• Knowledge of non-mammalian neuroanatomy is essential.
• Ability to conduct stress resilience experiments.

Responsibilities

• Develop and conduct specified research projects.
• Contribute ideas and methodologies for the studies.
• Write up research findings for publication.

Skills

Detailed subject knowledge in animal welfare

Analytical and problem-solving capability

Experience with brain immunohistochemistry

Ability to communicate complex information

Ability to work as part of a team

Education

PhD in animal welfare or comparative neuroscience

Tools

Automated counting methods

Job description

Salary: £35,116 to £45,413 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 11 August 2025

The Role

We are looking for a Post-Doctoral Research Associate to investigate the mechanisms and conditions that lead to higher stress resilience in laying hens. Although hen welfare is the main target of the research, the mechanisms discovered may be applicable to other species as well, including humans. A large part of the role is to process chicken brain tissue for immunohistochemistry and to work with bio-imaging experts on automating the quantification of doublecortin-positive cells in the hippocampus. You will work in an international network with collaborators in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Switzerland. You will spend at least 2 periods of 2 whole months in Switzerland to collect brain tissue and conduct stress resilience experiments. Good data analysis and writing skills are crucial to publish the results from the research.

The HenCare project is funded by the European Partnership for Animal Health and Welfare, and takes advantage of an ongoing research project in Switzerland investigating the genetics of space use in cage-free laying hens (HenTrack). In collaboration with Hendrix Genetics, one of the world’s largest laying hen breeding companies, HenCare will investigate the sources of individual differences in stress resilience in two strains of laying hens. We will especially investigate the genetic basis of different measures of stress resilience and markers of cumulative stress experiences. In addition, the project will investigate whether having different kinds of social networks increase stress resilience. The final aspect of the project will aim to find automated behavioural markers of higher stress resilience. Newcastle University’s role in the consortium is to collect and process physiological and neural indicators of stress resilience and cumulative stress. There is also an additional project looking at the effects of dark brooder rearing on welfare and stress resilience, in collaboration with the Lakes Free Range Egg Co. Newcastle University leads the HenCare consortium in collaboration with KU Leuven (Belgium; automated behaviour analysis), INRAE (France; genetics and social networks), University of Bern (Switzerland; behaviour tracking) and Hendrix Genetics (Netherlands; genetics).

This post is fixed term for a period of 3 years and 2 months.

For informal enquiries contact: Tom Smulders ( # )

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/

Find out more about our Research Institutes here: ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles. These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Please note that if you are successful to this role, you will require medical clearance before you can commence in the role

Key Accountabilities

-Although working under the general guidance of an academic or Principal Investigator, the postholder will contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of their studies, thus providing substantial 'added value'
-Develop and carry out the specified project using appropriate techniques and equipment as outlined in the personal requirements
-Determine appropriate methodologies for research, with advice and support where required
-Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and in time develop own research objectives and proposals for funding
-Begin to write, with appropriate support, proposals for individual research funding or, where funders do not permit this, contribute to the writing of collective bids
-Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
-Contribute to the writing up of their research for publication and dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
-Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
-May be involved in the supervision, with guidance, of final year undergraduate research projects and in providing support to postgraduate research students or Research Assistants
-Will need to work with the support staff and, on occasions, with undergraduate and postgraduate students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of the Institute.
-May contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities
-Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment


The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

-Detailed subject knowledge in the area of animal welfare
-Detailed subject knowledge in the area of non-mammalian neuroanatomy
-Experience with studying adult hippocampal neurogenesis in poultry, including brain immunohistochemistry
-Experience with validating automated counting methods for cells in brain tissue
-Experience in research on dark brooders and/or other systems to increase stress resilience in poultry
-Ability to work well as part of a team and rapidly acquire new skills
-Likelihood of advanced skills directly related to the research projects
-High level of analytical and problem-solving capability
-Ability to communicate complex information with clarity and to encourage the commitment of others
-Experience of research with clear transferable skills and some experience or awareness of the research environment
-Presentations at conferences and/or high-quality publications


Attributes and Behaviour

-Willingness to spend several months in Switzerland on at least two occasions to collect data
-Ability to communicate with collaborators from different cultural backgrounds


Qualifications

-A PhD in animal welfare or comparative neuroscience


Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silverAthena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Requisition ID: 28427