PhD studentship on Computer Vision-Based Monitoring of Colic in Horses based at the University of Nottingham.
We are seeking a dynamic and passionate PhD student to join our team and help drive enhancements to equine health and welfare through AI based monitoring. Through this PhD, you will have the unique opportunity to gain an exceptional skillset through interdisciplinary collaboration between the UoN School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, School of Computer Science, and industry partner Vet Vision AI; helping to shape the future of the animal health and welfare. Our research team, in collaboration with Vet Vision AI is developing computer vision AI algorithms which can monitor horses continuously in their stables, tracking normal behaviours, and identifying the early signs of colic. We are working with key equine hospitals to collect data from horses hospitalised for colic, with a large caseload of both medical and surgical cases. This project will develop and validate the existing algorithms to detect signs of colic using data from these horses.
The PhD student will work in an award-winning colic research team, and an exciting new computer vision team. The collaboration with Vet Vision AI gives access to camera systems, data collected from veterinary hospitals and existing validated algorithms to monitor normal behaviour and early-stage algorithms for colic signs.
The student will gain an advanced understanding of computer vision approaches to measure equine behaviour. These will include skills in training and evaluating computer vision models, augmentation, and synthetic data techniques. Alongside the ability to work with both academic and industry leaders in the fields of both computer vision and veterinary medicine and science, the applicant will have the opportunity to change the face of how clinical cases of colic are detected and reported in horses nationally.
Supervisors: Dr Robert Hyde (School of Veterinary Medicine & Health Sciences), Professor Sarah Freeman (School of Veterinary Medicine & Health Sciences), Dr Rachel Clifton (School of Veterinary Medicine & Health Sciences), Professor Andrew French (School of Computer Science) , Dr Valerio Giuffrida (School of Computer Science).
The PhD is being run through the Faculty of Science AI Doctoral Training Programme, full details including the application process are available here.
Entry requirements: Minimum of a 2:1 bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline to the research topic (please consult with the potential supervisors), and a strong enthusiasm for artificial intelligence research. Studentships are open to home students only
Start date: 1st October 2025
Funding: Annual tax-free stipend based on the UKRI rate (currently £20,780), Home tuition fee, and £3000 p.a. Research Training Support Grant.
Duration: 3.5 years (42 Months)
The deadline to have completed and submitted your application to NottinghamHub is Monday 5th May 2025.
For further details and to arrange an interview please contact Dr Robert Hyde (School of Veterinary Medicine & Health Sciences).