Research Assistant/Associate in Data Science of Dairy Cattle Welfare and Emissions

Salary: Reserach Assistant £33,002 - £34,610

            Reserach Associate £35,608 - £38,784

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 13 April 2026

The Role

Do you have a passion for using data science to address real-world challenges in animal welfare and agricultural sustainability?

We are seeking a Research Assistant or Associate in Data Science to join an interdisciplinary research team working at the interface of dairy cattle welfare, production and emissions. This role sits within the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences (SNES) in the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SAgE) and contributes to research that supports sustainable and ethical livestock systems.

You will play a key role in ensuring robust data collection, management and analysis from a University-led dairy cattle project. Working closely with researchers across disciplines, you will integrate diverse datasets, conduct statistical analyses, and communicate findings to a range of audiences, including academic, industry and funders.

We are committed to the professional development of our colleagues. You will have access to excellent training opportunities, work within a supportive research environment, and gain experience in collaborative, impact driven research.

We would welcome requests for flexible working and, depending on the needs of the role, blended working opportunities to work remotely as well as on campus may be considered. The hiring manager will discuss the requirements of the role should you be invited to interview. This role is a full-time role from Spring 2026 until March 2028. There will be regular travel to and from the University Farms.

Please provide evidence of how you meet the essential criteria outlined in The Person section by uploading a cover letter along with your Curriculum Vitae (CV)

For informal enquiries about the role, please contact Dr Hannah Davis at Hannah.davis@newcastle.ac.uk

Key Accountabilities

• Work as part of a research team to ensure robust data collection and data management for dairy cattle behaviour, physiology, emissions and production data
• Develop and update standard operating procedures and protocols for data collection and analysis from a range of data systems (e.g. accelerometer, cameras, management systems)
• Annotate animal behaviour from video footage in line with established protocols
• Collate and manage datasets on dairy cattle health, production and emissions, ensuring data integrity and adherence to agreed procedures
• Select and apply appropriate data cleaning, representation and validation methods
• Conduct statistical analyses and model fine‑tuning using test results
• Interpret findings in relation to dairy cattle behaviour, physiology, productivity and enteric emissions
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary research team to integrate and interpret diverse data types
• Communicate research findings to funders and project partners
• Write up and present research outputs for reporting, publication and wider dissemination

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Strong statistical analysis and data handling skills
• Understanding of data structures, data modelling and data management
• Ability to write robust, reproducible code in Python or R
• Experience writing academic publications independently and collaboratively
• Experience integrating multiple datasets to support biological or behavioural inference
• An understanding of animal behaviour, welfare or livestock production systems

Desirable

• Experience annotating animal behaviour from video footage
• Background or strong interest in dairy cattle welfare, nutrition, production or sustainability
• Experience working with sensor-based data collected from animals
• A full UK driving licence

Attributes and Behaviours

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Strong organisational and time management skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work effectively in a diverse, multidisciplinary environment
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Qualifications

• A PhD in a discipline related to data science or animal science for appointment at Research Associate
• Submitted PhD related to data science or animal science for appointment at Research Assistant.

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 29168

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