Gareth Arnott

Queen's University Belfast is offering a fully funded PhD opportunity in the field of animal welfare, genetics, and behaviour, specifically focusing on breeding for positive social behaviour in pigs. This project, based at the School of Biological Sciences in partnership with Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), the Pig Improvement Company (PIC), and the School of Psychology, aims to explore whether breeding for positive social behaviour can improve pig welfare and production efficiency. The research will utilize state-of-the-art genetic and genomic approaches to investigate the heritability of both positive and negative social behaviours in pigs, their genetic correlations with production traits, and the potential for incorporating behavioural traits into breeding indices. The project will make use of globally unique datasets containing detailed behavioural records on genotyped animals, enabling a comprehensive analysis of the genetic architecture underlying social behaviours and their impact on welfare and productivity. The PhD is supervised by Professor Gareth Arnott (QUB), Professor Simon Turner (SRUC), and Dr Grace Carroll (QUB), providing students with excellent exposure to both academic and industry environments. The Pig Improvement Company, the largest pig breeding company in the world, is committed to implementing selection strategies based on the research outcomes, ensuring direct welfare benefits and industry relevance. Funding for this position is provided through a DfE scholarship, covering full tuition fees and a stipend for living expenses. The opportunity is open exclusively to UK (Home) candidates; international applicants are not eligible. Applicants should hold or expect to achieve at least a 2:1 Honours degree in a relevant discipline such as Biological Sciences, Animal Science, Veterinary Science, or Psychology. Experience or interest in animal behaviour, genetics, or welfare is desirable. English language proficiency requirements apply as per university guidelines. The application deadline is 2 February 2026, with the project commencing in October 2026. Interested candidates should apply online via the Queen's University Belfast postgraduate application portal, referencing project code SBIO-2026-CAST. For further details, visit the official project page or contact the supervisory team. Keywords: animal welfare, pig behaviour, genetics, breeding, social behaviour, livestock production, agriculture, biological sciences, psychology, genomics.

Queen’s University Belfast is advertising a fully funded PhD opportunity in animal welfare genetics and genomics , focused on improving farm animal welfare through breeding for positive social behaviour in pigs . The project sits at the intersection of biology , agriculture , veterinary science , statistics , and environmental science . It will use state-of-the-art genetic and genomic approaches to study the heritability of positive and negative social behaviours, genetic correlations among behavioural traits, and links between behaviour and production traits. The work is designed to inform future breeding strategies and has direct relevance to pig welfare, efficiency, and sustainability. The PhD is a partnership between Queen’s University Belfast , Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) , and Pig Improvement Company (PIC) - Europe . The project uses unique datasets combining detailed behavioural observations with pedigree and genomic data from genotyped pigs. The supervisor named in the post is Professor Gareth Arnott . Funding: The studentship is fully funded through a DfE scholarship and covers tuition fees plus a stipend for living expenses. It is a CAST/CASE partnership . The opportunity is open to Home candidates only ; international applicants will not be considered. Deadline: 19 June 2026. Start date: 1 October 2026. How to apply: Use the Queen’s application link provided in the post and submit your application before the deadline. For more information, contact [email protected] .