Image and Sensor Technologies to Categorize Mobility in Beef Cattle

Project Information

The University of New England in collaboration with Angus Australia and Meat and Livestock Australia will be running a project to investigate the application of image and sensor technologies to categorize structural soundness in beef cattle. Structural soundness is a term often used to describe conformation of animals. Conformation traits such as foot and leg angle are currently assessed subjectively by human assessors in Australia. Objective methods to record phenotypes using image and sensor technologies have the potential to better capture the variation between animals and provide more precise measurements of conformation traits.

This project aims to investigate the feasibility of using image and sensor data analysis to define new objective measure of structural traits in Australian beef cattle. The outcome of this project can help farmers to breed for cattle with better structural soundness which in turn will improve animal welfare and the efficiency of beef cattle breeding programs in Australia. A PhD position is available for an enthusiastic student to work as part of this project. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to work in a multi-disciplinary project and develop complementary skills in animal genetics and genomics, computer programming and animal biomechanics. Candidates with a background in animal science, computer science and/or veterinary biomechanics are encouraged to apply.

Scholarship Information

This scholarship is valued at $49,000 per annum. It includes a Research Training Program (RTP) Domestic Scholarship stipend of $35,411 per annum (2024 rate) tax-free for a full time on campus domestic student, paid in fortnightly instalments and a $14,000 p.a top up scholarship funded by Angus Australia in collaboration with UNE. There will also be $10,000 p.a available to the successful candidate to cover research and operating costs.

The scholarship is tenable for three years and six month (3.5) full-time for a doctoral degree. The duration of an Research Training Program (RTP) stipend scholarship cannot be extended and is subject to CPI% increase annually.

For more information regarding the Research Training Program (RTP) and the scholarship terms and conditions please visit the following website.

How to Apply

To apply for this scholarship, applicants must complete and submit a candidature and scholarship application. All required supporting documentation as mentioned in the application form including the following:

For more information on submitting a candidature application please see our web page on how to apply/enrol for candidature.

Enquiries: Dr Hassan Aliloo - haliloo@une.edu.au or Professor Sam Clark - Sam.clark@une.edu.au