Context This PhD will study using routinely collected veterinary clinical data to support companion animal health and welfare surveillance in Ireland. Companion animal ownership is common in Ireland, however, there is limited data about the health and welfare status of this population. Routinely collected clinical veterinary data represents a significant but untapped source of data about the vet-attending pet population.
The overarching research question of this PhD project is ‘What data management processes and tools are needed for routinely collected veterinary clinical data to be used to support companion animal health and welfare surveillance in Ireland?’. Given much of the data is in semi-structured or unstructured formats, this project will develop processes for data cleaning and standardisation that support wider scale data collection and analysis. Specific research questions include: How can the quality of routinely collected veterinary clinical data be assessed in the context of the secondary use of this data for research and surveillance? What are the re-identification risks associated with the secondary use of routinely collected veterinary clinical data for companion animal research and surveillance, and how can this risk be reduced? How can animal and drug information be standardised? (identify/develop standards, create machine learning classifiers/natural language processing tools for automation and improving data quality.)
Minimum Qualifications Hold (or expect to hold) at least a 2:1 (or equivalent) undergraduate degree in computer science or a similar technical discipline and be able to demonstrate a strong interest in practical applications in veterinary medicine. Alternatively, applicants with a degree in veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing, or a related degree in the biological sciences, with a qualification or experience in informatics/use of real-world data to support veterinary clinical practice will also be considered. Note that for the latter, applicants must demonstrate that they have experience in data handling and a willingness to develop advanced skills in this area. Applicants must be proficient in English. Please see the following link for further information about UCD’s entry requirements, including language requirements: https://www.ucd.ie/graduateadmissions/admissions/entryrequirements/
Application Process Please submit your application as a single PDF file with the subject line ‘Companion animal surveillance PhD’ to [email protected] by 17th April 2026.
Please include the following: 1. Letter of interest (maximum one page) outlining your interest in this project, including your suitability for the role and relevant experience 2. A copy of your CV (please include a list of any publications and link to your ORCID ID/Google Scholar/GitHub profile, if applicable) 3. Academic transcripts 4. Names and contact details of two referees
Informal enquiries welcome to: [email protected] or [email protected]
Closing date 17th April 2026, late applications will not be accepted.
