PhD Studentship- Computer Vision-Based Monitoring of Health, Welfare and Living Space in Dairy Cattle

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Veterinary Medicine & Science
Location:  UK Other
Closing Date:  Monday 12 February 2024
Reference:  MED1990

Project title: Computer Vision-Based Monitoring of Health, Welfare and Living Space in Dairy Cattle

Principal supervisor: Dr Robert Hyde

Other supervisors: Prof. Martin Green, Dr Jake Thompson, Dr Luke O’Grady, Dr Laura Randall, Dr Zhun Zhong

Stipend: £18,622-£27,820 depending on qualifications (https://bit.ly/42h2GhG )

We are seeking a dynamic and passionate PhD student to join our team and help drive enhancements to livestock health and welfare through AI based monitoring. Through this PhD, you will have the unique opportunity to gain an exceptional skillset through interdisciplinary collaboration between the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, School of Computer Science, and industry partner Vet Vision AI; helping to shape the future of the animal health and welfare. 

Numerous health and management problems impact dairy cow welfare and productivity, however, many are preventable. Current processes to improve health and welfare often depend on short physical visits to farms, however, this is subjective, expensive, and important information is missed. The use of AI to automatically monitor health and welfare will provide a step change in animal health and welfare monitoring, empowering vets, farmers, and industry stakeholders to revolutionise cattle health and welfare. 

This PhD aims to deploy cutting-edge computer vision algorithms alongside veterinary insights to monitor and improve dairy cow health and welfare outcomes accurately and automatically. Successful applicants will be based in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, with input from world-leading computer scientists from the School of Computer Science, working alongside project partner Vet Vision AI; a spinout from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science on a mission to revolutionise animal health and welfare by combining veterinary insights and computer vision technology. 

This PhD combines world leading veterinary expertise with advanced skills in computer vision and machine learning. Alongside the opportunity for academic research and publication, this PhD provides the opportunity to deploy AI algorithms on real commercial farms, providing the chance to see research translated directly into practical improvements for animal health, welfare, and productivity.

If you are a passionate veterinarian, animal scientist or computer scientist, with a drive to use your skills to make a real difference, we encourage you to apply and be a part of our mission to revolutionise animal health and welfare.

Further information and Application

Applicants should have an undergraduate degree in Veterinary Science, Computer science or similar subjects. A working knowledge of Python would be preferred.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to the principal supervisor: [email protected]  

Candidates should apply online and include a CV.  When completing the online application form, please select the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, then PhD Veterinary Medicine and Science (36m) and, once submitted, send your student ID number to [email protected].

Any queries regarding the application process should be addressed to [email protected].

Interview Date: 

Week commencing 26th February.

Start Date: 

1st April 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter

Closing date: 

12th February

Eligibility for Funding

This is a fully funded studentship open to UK nationals only.  For Home student eligibility guidelines, please refer to the UKRI website