Research Associate / Postdoctoral Researcher (Behavioral Scientist)

Our task is to develop livestock farming in a sustainable and future-oriented manner in a globalized world. Resource efficiency, taking into account local and global environmental and climate impacts, is just as much a focus as animal welfare and health, as well as the safety of the food products derived from them.

The Forschungsinstitut für Nutztierbiologie (FBN) stands for innovative research in international, multidisciplinary teams and possesses a modern research infrastructure. Our green, nature-oriented campus is only a few minutes' drive from the cosmopolitan seaside city, Rostock.

The Behavior and Animal Welfare working group is filling a position as

Research Associate (Postdoctoral Researcher) (m/f/d)

Start date from May 2026

Working hours Full-time

Fixed-term 31.03.2029

Remuneration Entgeltgruppe 13 TV-L

Vacancy number 2026-06

Area of responsibility:

The PostDoc will collaborate on the institute-wide development of an AI-based animal welfare monitoring system for practical pig farming. In a combination of behavioral biology, bioacoustics, and AI technologies, vocalizations will be classified and used as animal welfare indicators. While the AI developments take place with the partners at Fraunhofer IGD, the PostDoc will conduct validation studies at the FBN, generate annotated datasets, and test the practical implementation of the AI tool. They will serve as the interface between Fraunhofer IGD and FBN, ensuring efficient cooperation and communication between behavioral biologists and AI experts.

The project is part of KI-Tierwohl (https://ki-tierwohl.de/ (https://ki-tierwohl.de/) ), where scientists from biomedicine, livestock research, AI, and social sciences come together. It offers the unique opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary research network and benefit from its networking activities. Participation in the KI-Tierwohl junior research group is expected.

Requirements:

• Doctorate in the fields of behavioral biology, life sciences, or similar
• Experience in conducting behavioral studies, ideally with pigs or livestock
• Publication history corresponding to the career stage
• Statistical knowledge, preferably in R
• Good organizational and communicative skills
• Willingness to work with pigs under practical conditions
• Motivation to work both in a team and independently on experiments
• Affinity for AI technologies (including machine learning, computer vision)
• (German) authorization to conduct animal experiments (cf. FELASA B or C) desirable
• Previous experience in bioacoustics desirable
• Very good English language skills
• German language skills are helpful for communication in the stable/laboratory

What we offer:

At the FBN, a dedicated, multidisciplinary team warmly welcomes you. We support you not only with structured onboarding but also with your questions regarding settling in the Rostock region. Furthermore, we offer our employees, among other things:

• an additional company pension scheme (VBL),
• 30 days of annual leave,
• flexible working hours as well as the possibility of mobile working, provided that animal experimental concerns do not prevent this.

Work-life balance is an important concern for us at the FBN; therefore, we are characterized by our certified family-friendliness. Thanks to our cooperation with the local kindergarten and parent-child rooms, employees with children can also find optimal working conditions with us.

If you want to become part of our team, we look forward to receiving your application. Since equal opportunity and diversity are important components of our personnel policy, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Sandra Düpjan duepjan@fbn-dummerstorf.de Tel.: 038208 68 812

Please send your application (motivation letter, detailed CV, copies of certificates, possibly publications) as a single PDF document exclusively by email to:

personal@fbn-dummerstorf.de

Please be sure to include the vacancy number 2026-06 in your application.

Finally, it should be noted that we are prohibited from reimbursing application and travel costs incurred during the application process. By submitting your application, you consent to the processing of your relevant personal data for the purpose of the application process.

Further information about the FBN can be found at

www.fbn-dummerstorf.de (http://www.fbn-dummerstorf.de) .

Home office: Extent: By arrangement