PhD in Integrative Biology of Grass-Fed Cattle — Agroscope, Switzerland

Key details

• Host institution: Agroscope
• Location: Agroscope, Posieux, Switzerland
• Application deadline: June 12, 2026

Funding

Not funded by a EU programme

Funding level (from listing): partial or not via EU framework — confirm on the official call.

How to apply

• Application portal / instructions: Official application link.
• Context on Euraxess: Original listing.

About the position

Agroscope invites applications for a PhD position within the research project “iREACT – IntegRativE biology approach to understand Adaptive physiology of bovine reared on grass to produce low Carbon meaT”. This project is funded by the SNF and ANR, conducted within a strong international research network involving Agroscope and French institutions (INRAE UMRH and UMR PEGASE, Inria and IMT). The PhD candidate will benefit from academic supervision at the University of Fribourg, offering an interdisciplinary and applied research environment at the interface of animal nutrition and data sciences.

Project Background

Grass-fed cattle production plays a key role in circular economy and local and global food security, but remains challenging due to seasonal and climate-sensitive grass availability. This results in disrupted production itineraries and discontinuous nutrient availability. For beef cattle, maintaining satisfactory growth performance without compromising animal health, welfare, or meat quality is a priority. The iREACT project hypothesizes that beef-on-dairy crossbred cattle combine high efficiency and resilience through an adequate balance between fat and muscle deposition (fat-to-lean ratio), enabling them to mobilise body energy reserves during periods of reduced feed availability. The PhD candidate will focus on developing imaging techniques and a mechanistic model to monitor and predict the fat-to-lean ratio during heifers’ growth.

Your Contribution

• Plan and actively participate in a beef cattle experiment
• Coordinate sampling and measurements on cattle, both alive and at the slaughterhouse, using state-of-the-art imaging technologies
• Manage longitudinal datasets, perform advanced statistical analyses and interpretation
• Optimize and evaluate a mechanistic model of the growth function and the kinetics of the body fat-to-lean ratio
• Communicate and publish results in scientific journals; prepare scientific reports for funders and stakeholders
• Manage project tasks and collaborate within an international consortium

Your Profile

• Background in animal science, nutrition, physiology, bioinformatics, or a related field
• Strong interest in applied research and new technologies in agriculture
• Interest in precision livestock farming, beef meat production systems, and adaptive physiology of cattle
• Interest in combining animal experimentation with computational methods
• Good computer skills and some experience in handling data and models
• Scientific writing skills and motivation to further develop them

About the Research Group

The ‘Ruminant Nutrition and Emissions’ Research Group, based at the Posieux and Tänikon sites, focuses on ruminant physiology, nutrition, and husbandry in roughage-focused feeding systems. The group aims to sustainably improve nutrient efficiency, lower emissions from cattle husbandry, reduce nutrient-related production diseases, and maintain high product quality.

Funding category: Contrat doctoral PhD
Country: Switzerland