Junior research scientist on mother-offspring relationships

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INRAE presentation

INRAE, the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment, is a public research organization bringing together 12,000 employees across 272 units in 18 centers across France. As the world’s leading institute specializing in agriculture, food, and the environment, INRAE plays a key role in supporting the necessary transitions to address global challenges.

Faced with population growth, food security challenges, climate change, resource depletion, and biodiversity loss, INRAE is committed to developing scientific solutions and supporting the evolution of agricultural, food, and environmental practices.

INRAE is recruiting researchers by open competition and offering permanent position.

Work environment, missions and activities

The Physiology, Environment and Genetics for Animals and Farming Systems (PEGASE) joint research unit, based in St-Gilles near Rennes, conducts research aimed at gaining a better understanding of the interactions between animals, farming practices and the environment in order to improve the sustainability of food systems. Within this unit, you will be joining the ‘Bienetre’ team (Well-being, health and adaptation of farm animals), made up of seventeen permanent staff from INRAE and the Institut Agro Rennes-Angers, including 9 scientists. 

The Welfare team studies the physiological and behavioural mechanisms that govern the welfare, health and adaptation of pigs and dairy ruminants. You will receive technical support in the unit's methodological workshops, particularly in behavioural analysis and physiological measurements.

The aim of the project is to study the development of the bond between the mother and her offspring in pigs. The originality of the project lies in the fact that it focuses on the evolution of the mother's behavior over the reproductive cycles and the consequences of the mother-offspring bond on maternal well-being, in a context of longer sow careers and changes in their rearing conditions. 

Initially, focusing on the sow, you will seek to characterise the behavioural elements that make up the relationship between the mother and her young (physical, vocal and olfactory interactions). You will study the temporal dynamics of the establishment and evolution of these interactions, assessed by various behavioural and physiological criteria (in collaboration with scientists from UMR PEGASE), during a lactation and over the course of lactations.
In a second phase, you will study the impact of individual characteristics and rearing practices on the cognitive processes used by the sow (effects of experience and importance of memory) and the sow's level of investment in her relationship with her litter.

In the longer term, you will look at the consequences of the mother-offspring relationship on the welfare of the sow and the welfare, health and zootechnical performance of her offspring, seeking to characterise the synergies or antagonisms between these different dimensions. The knowledge generated will be used to propose practical recommendations aimed at respecting the behavioural needs of the animals and promoting their welfare on the farm.

Training and skills

In-depth knowledge of behavioural sciences is required.
A keen interest in animal production and animal welfare is essential, as is the ability to work well in a team. 
If you have not already done so, you will need to undergo training to enable you to conduct animal experiments. 
Fluency in English is highly desirable, as is long-term international experience: successful candidates who have not already had such experience will be required to undertake a period of study abroad at the end of the placement year.

Let’s talk about your future job in a video!

INRAE's life quality

By joining our teams, you benefit from:

- 30 days of annual leave + 15 days "Reduction of Working Time" (for a full time);
- parenting support: CESU childcare, leisure services;
- skills development systems: training, career advise;
- social support: advice and listening, social assistance and loans;
- holiday and leisure services: holiday vouchers, accommodation at preferential rates;
- sports and cultural activities;
- collective catering.

For international scientists: please visit your guide to facilitate your arrival and stay at INRAE. 

How to apply

1. I download the applicant guide Application guidelines CRCN 2025 pdf - 3.93 MB
2. I write down the profile number CR-2025-PHASE-6
3. I apply GO