BEMÆRK: Ansøgningsfristen er overskredet
Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Quantitative Genetics and Genomics programme. The position is available from 01 September 2024 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.
Title:
Developing methods for genomic evaluation of purebred beef bulls for a beef on dairy production system
Research area and project description:
Producing beef x dairy crossbred calves through mating dairy cows of low genetic merit with beef bulls is becoming popular among Danish dairy farmers, as such calves have a higher economic value than their dairy counterparts. Moreover, these crossbred calves have a much lower environmental footprint than beef calves produced in suckler production systems. Beef bulls to be used on dairy cows have a different profile than those selected for purebred suckling systems. They must ensure easy born calves on dairy cows and compensate weaknesses of dairy breeds with respect to growth and carcass conformation. Accounting for information obtained from beef x dairy crossbred calves is therefore critical to select more accurately purebred beef bulls for crossbred performance.
Integrating crossbred information into genomic evaluations is not straightforward. Several methodologies have been developed to accommodate such a situation. Your role is to benchmark and further develop methods and tools for the prediction of genetic merit of purebred beef bulls for a beef on dairy production system. These models will enable us to accurately predict breeding values of purebred cows for their crossbred performance.
You will have access to large datasets of genomic and phenotypic data collected in close collaboration with the industry. Outcomes of your research will be implemented in official genomic evaluations.
You will:
- estimate genetic and genomic parameters for traits which are part of official evaluations
- develop and compare the accuracy of the statistical approaches for predicting genetic merit including genomic information for crossbred animals using simulated and real datasets
- investigate how genomic prediction accuracy of purebred beef bulls used on a beef x dairy develops with increasing numbers of crossbred offspring genotyped per sire
Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants for the PhD position must:
- Hold a Master's degree (120 ECTS) in a relevant quantitative field (quantitative genetics, statistical genetics, animal science, agrobiology, computational biology, or another related field). Applicants without a MSc degree will also be considered if they meet the requirements at this webpage
- Keen interest in statistical and quantitative genetics
- Be enthusiastic for scientific research, and be able to work in a large and diverse group of researchers and industry partners
- Have an interest in sustainable agriculture
- Have sufficient experience in at least one of the scientific programming languages (e.g. Julia, R, Python)
- Be fluent in English (written and spoken)
- Advanced writing and presentation skills, and strong organisational and communication skills
- Ability to work independently
- Additional experience in one or more of the following subjects is highly desirable:
- genetic parameters’ estimation
- genetic/genomic evaluation
- Bayesian data analysis and McMC
- analysis of large data sets
Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Centre for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, C. F. Møllers Allé 3, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:
- Senior Researcher Ole Fredslund Christensen, olef.christensen@qgg.au.dk (main supervisor)
- Tenure Track Adjunkt Emre Kamaran, emre@qgg.au.dk (co-supervisor)
- Tenure Track Adjunkt Alban Bouquet, alban.bouquet@qgg.au.dk (project owner)
How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.
Application deadline is Sunday 07 April at 23:59 CEST.
Preferred starting date is 01 September 2024.
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.
Please note:
- Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be taken into account.
- The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
- Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.
Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.
INFORMATIONER OM STILLINGEN:
- Arbejdspladsen ligger i:
Aarhus Kommune
-Virksomheden tilbyder:
-Arbejdsgiver:
Aarhus Universitet, Nordre Ringgade, 8000 Aarhus C
-Ansøgning:
Ansøgningsfrist: 07-04-2024; - ansøgningsfristen er overskredet
Se mere her: https://job.jobnet.dk/CV/FindWork/Details/6005988