Thesis

Short description of the thesis:

Intense research in the last few decades has shown that dogs are extremely good at reading human social and communicative behavior. However, as compared to social cognition, the cognitive abilities of dogs in the physical domain have been relatively sparsely studied. As a result, it still remains unclear what dogs know about physical relations, for instance about the fact that an object can have an impact on the movements of another one (i.e., means-end understanding).

A usual way of studying means-end understanding in animals is Piaget’s “support problem”- which involves a goal object (e.g., food) that is out of a subject’s reach, but is resting on a support (e.g., a wooden board) that is within the subject’s reach. The task is based on the assumption that if an animal understands the physical properties of the wooden board it uses it as a means to an end, i.e., pulls the support to get the reward into reach. Animals without means-end understanding will only be able to succeed through repeated exposure allowing for associative learning.

In this study, dogs will be tested in a variation of the support problem – known as the “on/off task”. Dogs will need to retrieve an out-of-reach food reward placed behind a physical barrier (fence). While the reward itself is out of reach, it is physically connected to a wooden board within the dog’s reach. Dogs will be presented with two wooden boards - one board with a food reward on top of it (ON board), and another board with a reward placed next to it (OFF board). Successful retrieval of the treat requires the dogs to pull the appropriate board by pawing the wooden until the treat emerges from under the barrier.

Two groups of dogs will be tested repeatedly in two experimental conditions: 1) in the natural condition, dogs will be able to retrieve the reward by pulling the ON board. The reward placed next to the OFF board will not move if dogs pull on this board; 2) in the magic condition, dogs will be able to retrieve the reward by pulling the OFF board. The reward placed on the ON board will not move if dogs pull on this board. The main hypothesis is that, if solving the task is based on associative learning, dogs will learn the causally correct (i.e., natural) and causally incorrect (i.e., magic version) versions of the task similarly fast. However, if dogs have a certain level of means-end understanding, they will learn faster in the causally correct version than in the magic one.

Testing will take place in the Clever Dog Lab (link) and will be carried out by two master students who will collaborate to 1) conduct the behavioral testing, 2) conduct qualitative/quantitative behaviour coding (live and from videos), and 3) statistically analyse the data.

Requirements:

• Experience with animal/dog handling
• Basic knowledge in statistics using R
• Excellent teamwork skills

Further information:

The students will learn how to design behavioral studies, conduct behavioral testing, conduct qualitative/quantitative behaviour coding (live and from videos), and statistically analyse data using the appropriate statistical methods.

Key data of the thesis:

• Duration of the thesis: 6 months
• Start: as soon as possible
• Language of the thesis: English

Key data of the organisational unit:

• Organisational Unit: Messerli Research Institute, Comparative Cognition Unit/ Clever Dog Lab

• Contact persons: Christiana Tsiourti (christiana.tsiourti@vetmeduni.ac.at)  /Zsófia Virányi (Zsofia.Viranyi@vetmeduni.ac.at) /

Title of the thesis/topic:
Histopathological and molecular investigations on partridges (perdix perdix) inoculated with a partridge pegivirus (ParPgV)

Short description of the thesis/topic:
In recent years, outbreaks of encephalitis of viral origin have been observed in flocks of partridges in France. Consequently, sequences of a pegivirus  – here named partridge pegivirus (ParPgV) –  were detected by Next Generation Sequencing and PCR in partridge brain samples that presented histopathological lesions. To determine a causal relationship between the ParPgV and the observed disease, partridges were experimentally inoculated with the virus, monitored for clinical signs, and sampled throughout time. In this thesis the collected samples will be investigated by histopathology, and PCR. Expectly, the obtained results will provide a more definite resolution of the aetiology of the outbreaks observed in the field.

Requirements:
Theoretical knowledge and interest in veterinary virology and pathology.

Further information:
Histological and in-situ hybridization techniques will be performed together with real-time PCR investigations.

Duration of the thesis:
3-5 months

Start: 
as soon as possible

Language of the thesis:
English

Contact details:

Name of the organisational unit (Institute/Clinic/Unit):
Unit for Poultry Medicine

Contact person for the thesis:
Dr. Miguel Matos
miguel.matos@vetmeduni.ac.at

Overall project:

The SLA Complex: Molecular Genetics and Importance in Veterinary Vaccine Research

Short project description:

Livestock species are a major source of animal protein worldwide. To ensure animal health and food safety, it is essential to prevent infectious diseases via biosecurity and use of well-designed vaccines and therapeutics. Advances in genomics have informed our understanding of the complexity of the immune system and the genes that influence disease and vaccine responses, with the most important being the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Viral, bacterial and parasitic infections have severe influences on animal welfare and livestock economy. Development of an adaptive immune system to fight off these infections relies on effective activation of T lymphocytes and their recognition of pathogen-derived peptides presented by MHC molecules to T cell receptors (TCR). The highly polymorphic nature of the MHC allows for the presentation of a wide panel of antigenic peptides and thus influences disease resistance and vaccine responsiveness. In Europe, swine represent economically important farm animals and furthermore have become a preferred preclinical large animal model for biomedical studies, transplantation and regenerative medicine research. The need for typing of the swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) is increasing with the expanded use of pigs as models for human diseases and organ transplantation experiments and their use in infection studies and for design of veterinary vaccines. In this study, we characterise the SLA class I (SLA-1, SLA-2, SLA-3) and class II (DRB1, DQB1, DQA) genes of farmed pigs representing various commercial pig lines by low-resolution (Lr) SLA haplotyping.
Further reading: Anim Genet. 2021 Aug; 52(4): 523–531. Published online 2021 May 24. doi: 10.1111/age.13090

Previous knowledge/prerequisites:

• Advanced stage in the study programme Veterinary medicine (8 or 9^th term onwards)
• Basic knowledge in molecular genetics and immunology
• Experience with basic molecular techniques
• Profound English language skills are welcome but not mandatory
• Previous experience with veterinary immunology or immunogenetics is beneficial

Additional comments:

If you are interested and would like to be part of the immunology research team, please send a cover letter and a curriculum vitae to Priv.-Doz. Dr. Sabine E. Hammer

Planned duration of the thesis project:

01.03.2023 - 29.09.2023 – from March 1, 2023 to September 29, 2023

Name of the research unit:

Institute of Immunology at the Department of Pathobiology

Supervisor:

Priv.-Doz. Dr. Sabine E. Hammer

Interested candidates may reply until:

February 3, 2023 – 03.02.2023

Short description of the thesis:

Intense research in the last few decades has shown that dogs are extremely good at reading human social and communicative behavior. However, as compared to social cognition, the cognitive abilities of dogs in the physical domain have been relatively sparsely studied. As a result, it still remains unclear what dogs know about physical relations, for instance about the fact that an object can have an impact on the movements of another one (i.e., means-end understanding).

A usual way of studying means-end understanding in animals is Piaget’s “support problem”- which involves a goal object (e.g., food) that is out of a subject’s reach, but is resting on a support (e.g., a wooden board) that is within the subject’s reach. The task is based on the assumption that if an animal understands the physical properties of the wooden board it uses it as a means to an end, i.e., pulls the support to get the reward into reach. Animals without means-end understanding will only be able to succeed through repeated exposure allowing for associative learning.

In this study, dogs will be tested in a variation of the support problem – known as the “on/off task”. Dogs will need to retrieve an out-of-reach food reward placed behind a physical barrier (fence). While the reward itself is out of reach, it is physically connected to a wooden board within the dog’s reach. Dogs will be presented with two wooden boards - one board with a food reward on top of it (ON board), and another board with a reward placed next to it (OFF board). Successful retrieval of the treat requires the dogs to pull the appropriate board by pawing the wooden until the treat emerges from under the barrier.

Two groups of dogs will be tested repeatedly in two experimental conditions: 1) in the natural condition, dogs will be able to retrieve the reward by pulling the ON board. The reward placed next to the OFF board will not move if dogs pull on this board; 2) in the magic condition, dogs will be able to retrieve the reward by pulling the OFF board. The reward placed on the ON board will not move if dogs pull on this board. The main hypothesis is that, if solving the task is based on associative learning, dogs will learn the causally correct (i.e., natural) and causally incorrect (i.e., magic version) versions of the task similarly fast. However, if dogs have a certain level of means-end understanding, they will learn faster in the causally correct version than in the magic one.

Testing will take place in the Clever Dog Lab (link) and will be carried out by two master students who will collaborate to 1) conduct the behavioral testing, 2) conduct qualitative/quantitative behaviour coding (live and from videos), and 3) statistically analyse the data.

Requirements:

• Experience with animal/dog handling
• Basic knowledge in statistics using R
• Excellent teamwork skills

Further information:

The students will learn how to design behavioral studies, conduct behavioral testing, conduct qualitative/quantitative behaviour coding (live and from videos), and statistically analyse data using the appropriate statistical methods.

Key data of the thesis:

• Duration of the thesis: 6 months
• Start: as soon as possible
• Language of the thesis: English

Key data of the organisational unit:

• Organisational Unit: Messerli Research Institute, Comparative Cognition Unit/ Clever Dog Lab

• Contact persons: Christiana Tsiourti (christiana.tsiourti@vetmeduni.ac.at)  /Zsófia Virányi (Zsofia.Viranyi@vetmeduni.ac.at) /

Overall project:

The SLA Complex: Molecular Genetics and Importance in Veterinary Vaccine Research

Short project description:

Livestock species are a major source of animal protein worldwide. To ensure animal health and food safety, it is essential to prevent infectious diseases via biosecurity and use of well-designed vaccines and therapeutics. Advances in genomics have informed our understanding of the complexity of the immune system and the genes that influence disease and vaccine responses, with the most important being the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Viral, bacterial and parasitic infections have severe influences on animal welfare and livestock economy. Development of an adaptive immune system to fight off these infections relies on effective activation of T lymphocytes and their recognition of pathogen-derived peptides presented by MHC molecules to T cell receptors (TCR). The highly polymorphic nature of the MHC allows for the presentation of a wide panel of antigenic peptides and thus influences disease resistance and vaccine responsiveness. In Europe, swine represent economically important farm animals and furthermore have become a preferred preclinical large animal model for biomedical studies, transplantation and regenerative medicine research. The need for typing of the swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) is increasing with the expanded use of pigs as models for human diseases and organ transplantation experiments and their use in infection studies and for design of veterinary vaccines. In this study, we characterise the SLA class I (SLA-1, SLA-2, SLA-3) and class II (DRB1, DQB1, DQA) genes of farmed pigs representing various commercial pig lines by low-resolution (Lr) SLA haplotyping.
Further reading: Anim Genet. 2021 Aug; 52(4): 523–531. Published online 2021 May 24. doi: 10.1111/age.13090

Previous knowledge/prerequisites:

• BSc Degree in Biology, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Biomedicine or a related subject
• Basic knowledge in molecular genetics and immunology
• Experience with basic molecular techniques
• Profound English language skills are welcome but not mandatory
• Previous experience with veterinary immunology or immunogenetics is beneficial

Additional comments:

If you are interested and would like to be part of the immunology research team, please send a cover letter and a curriculum vitae to Priv.-Doz. Dr. Sabine E. Hammer

Planned duration of the thesis project:

01.03.2023 - 29.09.2023 – from March 1, 2023 to September 29, 2023

Name of the research unit:

Institute of Immunology at the Department of Pathobiology

Supervisor:

Priv.-Doz. Dr. Sabine E. Hammer

Interested candidates may reply until:

February 3, 2023 – 03.02.2023

Short Description of the Thesis/Topic:

Over the past years, Vienna has developed into one of the leading centres of population genetics. The Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics has been founded to provide a training opportunity for PhD students to build on this excellent on-site expertise.

We invite applications from highly motivated and outstanding students with a love for evolutionary research and a background in one of the following disciplines: evolutionary genetics, functional genetics, theoretical or experimental population genetics, bioinformatics, mathematics, statistics

Topics include:

• Adaptation from reduced genetic variation.
• Evolution from de novo mutations - influence of elevated mutation rates.
• Evolution of sex-specific neuronal signaling.
• Genomic and phenotypic patterns of adaptation in large experimentally evolved populations.
• Inference of selection signatures from time-series data.
• Long-term dynamics of local Drosophila populations.
• Speciation from standing genetic variation.
• Studying the evolution of gene expression with single cell RNA-Seq

Requirements: 
Only complete applications (application form, CV, motivation letter, university certificates, indication of the two preferred topics in a single pdf) received by June04, 2023 will be considered. Two letters of recommendation need to be sent directly by the referees.

Further Information:
Depending on the project, PhD degrees will be awarded either in genetics, mathematics or statistics. PhD students will receive a monthly salary based on currently EUR 2.464,80 before tax according to the regulations of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).

All information about the about available topics, the training program and the application procedure can be found at www.popgen-vienna.at

Language of the thesis:
English

Start:
September 2023

Duration of the thesis:
3 years

Name of Institute:
Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics

Contact Person for the Thesis:
Dr. Julia Hosp
E-Mail: julia.hosp@vetmeduni.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 250 77 - 4302

Feedback from students requested by:
04.06.2023

Short Description of the Thesis/Topic:
Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular foodborne pathogen responsible for listeriosis, a rare but severe illness in humans. L. monocytogenes can resist environmental stress and is therefore able to survive in multiple habitants e.g. in the host or the food producing environment. We recently identified a large genomic islet in L. monocytogenes harbouring a protein with rearrangement hotspot (Rhs) repeats. The Rhs insertion consists of potential novel toxin-antitoxin systems. This FWF-funded PhD project aims to investigate the role of the Rhs insertion in bacterial competition and virulence. 

Requirements: 
We are looking for a highly qualified and motivated student. The successful candidate should have the following qualifications:

• A completed Master’s degree in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or a related discipline.
• Research experience in microbiology and cloning
• Experience in the characterization of toxin-antitoxin systems is preferred
• Good command of written and spoken English
• Highly motivated and organized
• Excellent team-working ability
 

Further Information:
This PhD project will be conducted at the Unit for Food Microbiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna in the research group of Kathrin Kober-Rychli. Funding will be for three years according to the salary scheme of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). Expected start: May 2023
How to Apply: Interested candidates should send application materials (cover letter stating interest and relevant experience, CV, university certificates and contact details of at least one referee) to Dr. Kathrin Kober-Rychli (kathrin.rychli@vetmeduni.ac.at) by 28th of February  2023. 

Language of the thesis:
English

Start:
May 2023

Duration of the thesis:
01/05/2023 to 30/04/2026

Name of Institute:
Unit of Food Microbiology
Institute of Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health

Contact Person for the Thesis:
Dr. Kathrin Kober-Rychli
E-Mail: kathrin.rychli@vetmeduni.ac.at

Feedback from students requested by:
28th of February  2023