The WUR Animal Sciences Group focuses on finding answers to major societal challenges, including those related to animal welfare, human and animal health, food security, climate change and biodiversity.

ASG has launched the ambitious innovation program Next Level Animal Sciences aimed at developing innovative and less-invasive next-generation methodologies to address the next decade challenges in our domain.

Three methodologies are central to the innovation program Next Level Animal Sciences:

1.      Complex cell systems for integrated studies at the interface of cell, tissue and organism.

2.      Integrated and autonomous sensor platforms for ‘precision phenotyping’ in relation to

         environmental conditions.

3.      Unravelling mechanisms in complex animal systems from complex data analysis and mechanistic

         modelling, at all integration levels.

The postdoc position is part of theme two: integrated and autonomous sensor platforms.

We will test existing gastrointestinal micro-capsule technologies in vivo within the porcine small intestine lumen. Two micro-capsule technologies will be used: a sampling capsule from Dupont-BioME to sample the microbiome and a sensing capsule from OnePlanet that remotely transmits data in real-time. The microbiome composition will be used to relate to the Complex tissue intestinal work, and the sensory data from the small intestine will be related to the work of the Physiological health monitoring sensor group.Your tasks will be:

• to test and improve the micro-capsule technologies, such as reducing size for use in other animals, extending its sensing capabilities, and liaise and connect with the other sensing technologies being developed by the “sensor” teams and to design and execute the necessary in vivo and ex vivo animal experiments in close collaboration with involved scientists from ASG.
• to disseminate results via publications and conference presentations.
• to interact constructively with the developers of the micro-capsule technologies and the Wageningen research team.