Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Contract Type: Fixed term until 30 September 2027                
Working Pattern: Full time

The Post
The University of Stirling is seeking to appoint a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow within its world-leading Institute of Aquaculture to work on the Innovate UK AgriScale-funded project "AI Camera Analytics for Behaviour, Welfare and Harvest Management in Aquaculture." This appointment comes at an exciting time for individuals who want to help shape the development of novel welfare technologies alongside industry partners Ace Aquatec.

This post will validate a novel batch electrical stunner for Pacific whiteleg shrimp, rainbow trout and carp, developing camera-derived, AI-detectable welfare indicators of insensibility for use in commercial field trials. The work package also includes a linked biomass-camera study in farmed Atlantic salmon, testing underwater camera configurations for AI detection of sea lice, wounds and individual fish identification via skin/spot pattern.

The postholder will lead the development of behavioural welfare indicators from video footage, coordinate laboratory recording campaigns and human annotation of welfare states, and work closely with Ace Aquatec's engineering team to specify, train and evaluate AI/computer vision models. The role includes overseeing field deployments with UK aquaculture producers and supporting the associated salmon camera-testing study on sea lice, wounds and individual ID.

The successful applicant should demonstrate experience in animal behaviour research, ideally in aquatic species, together with practical skills in video-based behavioural analysis and/or applying computer vision or machine learning methods to biological data. Applicants should have good working knowledge of experimental design for welfare science and an interest in translating research into deployable technology for commercial aquaculture settings.

The IoA is contributing to positioning the University of Stirling as a global leader in providing transformative solutions for the sustainable expansion of the aquaculture sector, improving fish and shrimp welfare through precision technology and humane slaughter methods. This research contributes to this goal and to wider goals such as UN SDG 14, Life Below Water. Research on humane stunning, welfare assessment and non-invasive monitoring technologies across a range of innovative systems is critical to achieving these aims.

The post holder will be expected to contribute to the delivery of internationally excellent publications and to co-create a strong research culture, including supporting the training of research staff and students engaged in related welfare and aquaculture technology projects.

Description of Duties

• Engage in individual and collaborative research as part of a team, delivering directly to the project objectives, and disseminate results through publication in high-impact journals and conference proceedings
• Design and conduct welfare-focused behavioural studies of target aquaculture species, including video-based data collection, annotation and analysis
• Contribute to the development and validation of AI/computer vision models for automated welfare assessment, working closely with the wider project team
• Support the validation and field testing of project technologies at commercial aquaculture sites 

Essential Criteria 

• A PhD in a relevant discipline
• Experience in fish welfare and behaviour
• Experience in image or video analysis, including using AI/computer vision tools
• Experience with R or Python for data analysis
• Experience designing and conducting laboratory-based animal behaviour studies 

For further information, including a full description of duties, essential criteria and details on how to apply, please click on the apply button above.

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