PhD in Optimising Sustainability in Livestock Systems: Multi-Criteria Assessment Framework Queen's University Belfast in United Kingdom

PhD opportunity in Optimising Sustainability in Livestock Systems: A Multi-Criteria Assessment Framework at Queen's University Belfast, within the SUSTAIN CDT project.

This studentship is supervised by Prof Ilias Kyriazakis (Queen's University Belfast) and Simon Parsons (University of Lincoln). The project focuses on agricultural sustainability, livestock systems, multi-criteria assessment, optimization, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computational argumentation. The research aims to develop methods for evaluating livestock management decisions across multiple sustainability dimensions, including environmental, economic, social, welfare, and antimicrobial-use outcomes.

The work will involve evaluating normalization across sustainability metrics, implementing optimization approaches such as Pareto optimality and genetic algorithms, building a hybrid AI framework, and engaging stakeholders to assess the usefulness and explainability of the model. This is a strong fit for candidates interested in data-driven agriculture, animal science, veterinary science, and sustainability analytics.

Eligibility: Home applicants only. Applicants should hold a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Data Science, Animal Science, or Veterinary Science. A Master’s degree is an advantage. The post seeks an ambitious researcher with strong analytical skills and motivation to apply advanced AI to real-world sustainability challenges.

Funding: Enhanced PhD stipend of £31,850. The post is presented as a supported studentship; tuition coverage is not specified in the excerpt.

Timing: Entry is for Cohort 3 / October 2026.