PhD: Economic value of real-time video-based disease detection in pigs

Do you want to improve animal welfare and help make livestock farming more sustainable? Are you excited about connecting cutting-edge AI technology with farming to unlock the economic value of this technology? Do you want to make real-world impact with your research? Then this PhD position could be the perfect opportunity for you.

Feeding a growing global population sustainably is one of today's greatest challenges. While diets are expected to become increasingly plant-based, livestock production will continue to play an important role. Improving animal welfare while reducing the environmental footprint of livestock systems is therefore essential for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Wageningen University (WUR) and the Technical University of Eindhoven (TUe) have been working on vision-based measurement of animal welfare in production animals. In the NWO-funded RealTimeAI4Livestock project, these technologies are being further developed for applications in both breeding for animal welfare and early disease detection. Early detection can improve animal welfare while enabling early and more efficient interventions by farmers.

The aim of this PhD project to gain insight in the economic value of using this AI vision-based technologie in animal farming. Although these technologies have great potential to improve animal welfare, their impact depends on farmers seeing sufficient economic benefits to adopt them.

In this PhD project, you will:

• develop a mechanistic stochastic bio-economic simulation model to quantify the production and economic impacts of livestock diseases in livestock production (most likely pig production); 

• estimate the economic value of disease interventions, based on  AI vision technologies; 

• develop system-use scenarios and evaluate them under various production circumstances;

• design and conduct an adaptive choice-based conjoint study to understand farmers' preferences for disease detection technologies; 

• collaborate with researchers at WUR and TU/e, as well as breeding companies, technology developers and other industry partners.

Where you will work

At Wageningen university you will be working at the Business Economics group (BEC) and will be co-supervised by the Animal Breeding and Genetics group (ABG). 

We are looking for a highly motivated (MSc) postgraduate with the following profile:

• Excellent MSc degree in economics, animal science, or another relevant degree. In your application, make sure that you explain why your background study makes you a suitable candidate for this position 

• Affinity with animal production. 

• Strong analytical skills; experience with R is preference.

• Experience with participatory research methods is a plus.

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team.

• Proficiency in spoken and written English (C1 level or equivalent).

• Experience with scientific writing and publishing is a plus

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• Partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.
The gross salary for the first year is € 3.059,- per month rising to € 3.881,-  in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 12 months which will be extended for the duration of the project (4 years in total) if you perform well. 

We encourage development and internal mobility within our organisation. Our recruitment and selection policy sets out the conditions that apply specifically to you as a (former) employee. If you have any questions, we are happy to help.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. 

Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees. 

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family. 

Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our Welcome Center can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account, dual career programs or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

For more information about this position, please contact prof. Henk Hogeveen (henk.hogeveen@wur.nl) or dr Mariska van der Voort (Mariska.vandervoort@wur.nl).    

For more information about the procedure, please contact Jouke van Oostenbrugge, Corporate Recruiter, recruitment.ssg@wur.nl.

Do you want to apply?
You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.

• a CV (max 2 pages) demonstrating your relevant experience;

• a maximum of two reference letters;

• a motivation letter (max 1 page) where you state why you are interested and what experience you have to address the aspects of the project.

This vacancy will be listed up to and including August 31. Online or onsite interviews of shortlisted candidates will be held in the second week of September. 

Welcome, safe, and valued
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) highly values diversity and inclusion because we believe that different insights lead to innovative solutions. We create a work environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, and appreciated, regardless of background, identity, or experience. Together, we are building a culture where everyone's unique contribution adds to the success of our organization.

​The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.

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