UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
Research Associate (Postdoctoral)
Further Particulars
Background
The University of Cambridge has a global reputation for ground breaking science research
and teaching. The academic environment at Cambridge University is vibrant and the
opportunity for engagement in cultural, sports and leisure activities in are unique. The
Department of Veterinary Medicine is situated just outside the city centre of Cambridge on
Madingley Road, on the University’s West Cambridge Site which has been developed to
provide new purpose built accommodation for science and technology Departments, as well
as residential accommodation, a nursery, restaurant and shopping facilities.
The main building of the Department was opened in 1951, and incorporates the Queen’s
Veterinary School Hospital. Over the last decade, an extensive building programme has
been undertaken to provide and house specialist hospital and teaching facilities and
equipment. The research laboratories are located in the main building and other research
groups are housed in laboratory units within the Vet School site. It is expected that new
building initiatives will be realised in the future, and in the meantime the Department has an
ongoing programme of refurbishment in its existing accommodation.
The Department undertakes a wide range of teaching and research activities on site and in
collaboration with other research and clinical departments in the University of Cambridge
and other institutions. These include the teaching of clinical Veterinary students, further
training of postgraduate veterinarians for higher qualifications, and training of postgraduate
students for PhDs. The Hospital plays an important role in clinical teaching, and in patient
care.
Research is concentrated in the areas of Infection and Immunity, Neurosciences, and
Genetics, and research groups employ research contract staff at all levels. The Department
currently has around 35 academic and academic-related staff, 90 support staff, 60 research
contract staff, 210 clinical veterinary students and 40 postgraduate students. The support
staff cover a broad range of roles, which include laboratory technicians, nursing staff, farm
maintenance staff, secretarial and administrative staff. Further details about the Department
are available at http://www.vet.cam.ac.uk
The post-doctoral fellow will join the Centre for Animal Welfare and Anthrozoology, which has
been very influential in shaping animal welfare research across the globe over the past 25 years.
The postdoctoral fellow will develop research activities as part of the AWIN (www.animalwelfare-indicators.net) programme, which is an exciting new four-year, animal welfare
research programme which has 12 Ph.D. candidates and 9 postdoctoral fellows working in
ten institutions in seven countries across Europe, USA and Brazil The project is funded by
EU 7th Framework Programme (FP7).
The Role
A postdoctoral research position is available from 1st March 2012 at the Centre for Animal Welfare
and Anthrozoology, based at the Department of Veterinary Medicine. The successful candidate will
work under the supervision of Dr. Fernando Constantino-Casas and Dr. Murray Corke, investigating
the welfare of commercial sheep. Dr. Fernando Constantino-Casas is a lecturer at Cambridge
Veterinary School and he is an experienced veterinary pathologist, with interest in animal welfare
and diseases. Dr. Murray Corke is a lecturer at Cambridge Veterinary School, with extensive
experience in clinical work in production animals. Dr. Corke has conducted research in sheep welfare
previously.
The objective of the AWIN project, at the University of Cambridge, is to understand the
consequences of foot-rot, mastitis and pregnancy toxaemia on welfare outcomes in sheep. There
will be extensive work to validate welfare and pain biomarkers in sheep, with the support from the
AWIN partners in Edinburgh. The Cambridge team will validate pain mitigation strategies to be used
in animals experiencing diseases.
The successful candidate should have research experience in the areas of farm animal welfare and
sheep behaviour or pain assessment. Veterinary graduates with a PhD are preferred, but other
Veterinary graduates with significant research experience also are encouraged to apply.
All
veterinarians must be eligible for the MRCVS. Candidates with experience of welfare and pain
assessment are encouraged to apply. Data handling, statistical analysis and reporting research
findings are essential attributes for a successful candidate.
Main Job Purpose:
The role offers the opportunity to participate in a research project into the effects of disease on the
welfare of commercial sheep. This is a project financed by the EU VII Framework Program (FP7KBBE-2010-4), with more than 10 universities and research centres involved around the world (for
more information about the project: http://www.animal-welfare-indicators.net/site/). The
Cambridge group is investigating the relationship between sheep diseases and animal welfare,
focussing on behavioural and physiological indicators of pain and discomfort (Work Package 2). The
diseases involved in the study are: foot-rot, mastitis and pregnancy toxaemia. The project will
promote a better understanding of the role of disease in compromising animal welfare.
The successful applicant will be expected to assist the research leaders in all phases of the project
including planning, data collection, analysis and presentation.
The postdoctoral fellow will be encouraged to interact with the other Animal Behaviour Research
teams involved in the AWIN project Contract period is for 2.5 years in the first instance.
Specific tasks will include responsibility for:

Farm visits to perform clinical diagnosis of specific diseases and treatment. These will also
include sample collection (e.g. blood, saliva) to assess physiological indicators of pain and
assessment of behavioural responses.

Sample processing of blood and saliva, and video observation of behaviour with the
appropriate software.

Data analysis and presenting information on research progress and results internally to the
project leaders, and also externally to the research community and interested stakeholders.
The role holder will contribute to the overall activities of the department. Some involvement
with teaching is possible if desired.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Relevant Experience, Skills and Knowledge:
Essential
Desirable
• Knowledge of farm animal behaviour, welfare • Previous experience in working with sheep on
and their scientific measurement.
farms.
• Interest in the links between livestock health, • Experience in behaviour and/or pain-related
nutrition, behaviour and management.
• Good understanding of the issues affecting
data collection on farms.
• Skills in data collection and statistical analysis
• Skills in report writing, presentation and
communication of information.
research.
Relevant Qualifications:
Essential
Desirable
• MRCVS (or eligible).
•Significant research experience.
The role holder would possess some research PhD.
experience with sufficient breadth/depth of
specialist knowledge in the discipline and of
research methods and techniques to work within
established research programmes.
Will continually update knowledge in the
specialist area and engage in continuous
professional development.
Experience of managing own workload.
Communication and Interpersonal Skills:
Essential
• Excellent communication skills are essential,
both written and verbal. The position holder will
be expected to work as part of a team,
interacting with farmers, as well as with
collaborating Universities and research centres.
Additional Criteria:
Essential
• A valid driving licence, allowing independent
travel to sheep farms in Great Britain. The
position holder will be have the use of a vehicle
and will need to be insured for business use. A
mileage allowance will be paid for business
journeys.
Terms and Conditions
Vacation Entitlement
You are entitled to paid annual leave of 33 days plus public holidays in any one
academic year. The periods or period of leave must be agreed, in advance with the
head of the institution.
The period for calculating entitlement for holiday is the academic year, i.e. 1 October
to 30 September.
Contract Period
The appointment will be for a period of two and a half years in the first instance and
will be subject to a 6-month probationary period.
Stipend
The pensionable scale of stipends for a Research Associate is £27,578.00 to
£35,938.00
Hours of Work
Your hours of work should be agreed between yourself and your Head of Institution.
As a guideline the General Board expect the average full time working week to be in
the region of 37 to 40 hours a week.
Equal Opportunities
The University of Cambridge is committed to a policy and practice which require that
entry into employment with the University and progression within employment be
determined only by personal merit and by the application of criteria which are related
to the duties of each particular appointment and the relevant stipend or salary
structure.
No applicant for an appointment in the University, or member of staff once
appointed, will be treated less favourably than another on the grounds of sex
(including gender reassignment), marital or parental status, race, ethnic or national
origin, colour, disability, sexual orientation, religion or age. If any employee considers
that he or she is suffering from unequal treatment, he or she may make a complaint
which will be dealt with through the agreed procedures for dealing with grievances.
Part-Time Working & Disability
The University has policies on arrangements for part-time work and disability. These
can
be
accessed
on
the
University
website
at
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/hr/policy/ should any applicant have specific
requirements at interview they should contact Melissa Large as a matter of urgency.
Pre-employment Checks
An offer of employment will be conditional upon the satisfactory outcome of a preemployment health check. Whether an outcome is satisfactory will be determined by
the University.
No Dogs on Site Policy
Please note that it is the Department’s policy that members of staff and students
joining the Department are not allowed to bring dogs on site.
Application Procedure
Applicants should supply the following documents:



A letter of application stating areas of interest
A current Curriculum Vitae
A completed CHRIS/6 application form
For a CHRIS/6 application form contact Melissa Large on 01223 337055, or
download from http://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/news/
Applications should be sent for the attention of Miss Melissa Large, Department of
Veterinary Medicine, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ES.
Applications can be made via email to vetmed@hermes.cam.ac.uk with the above
documents as word attachments. Please quote the PN reference number in the subject.
Closing Date TBA
Interviews will be held TBA