We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate to join the Animal Breeding and Genetic and Animal Welfare teams, based in Torre Marimon (Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona) and Monells (Girona), respectively . We offer the opportunity to be part of an organization with a dynamic, collaborative work environment focused on professional development.
The selected candidate will join a multidisplinary research project funded by the Spanish State Research Agency: "ProBioPig - Study of microbial transmission and modulation of the Immune-Gut-Brain axis through microbial interventions to enhance pigs' resilience and welfare".
The PhD candidate will join Subproject 1, focused on determining how beneficial gut bacteria consortia can be used to improve pig performance and welfare, and on characterizing the transmission of the maternal microbiome to the offspring and its links with behaviour, immunity, and multi-omics signatures
Key researchers for the position: Dr. Yuliaxis Ramayo-Caldas and Dr. Antoni Dalmau Positivo (Subproject 1 Co-Principal Investigators)
Tasks and Responsibilities:




- Maintain and update records of animal husbandry, sampling schedules, and experimental data across the different studies (behavioural, feeding, microbiome) conducted at IRTA's experimental farm in Monells.
- Coordinate and execute the on-farm experimental studies, including animal handling, the social stress model, and faecal, blood and tissue sampling.
- Provide bioinformatic and statistical support for the analysis of shotgun metagenomics, metaproteomics, and targeted metabolomics data.
- Assist in the behavioural, cognitive and learning tests (hierarchy, open field, spatial memory and cognitive bias tests) performed on pigs.
- Manage and integrate multi-omics datasets (microbiome, metabolome, metaproteome) with host phenotypic records using multivariate and machine-learning approaches.

Required qualifications and experience
- MSc degree in Animal Welfare, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, Bio

📌 PhD Candidate in Harnessing the gut microbiome and... (España)
🏢 IRTA
📍 España