The programme starts on 1 October 2025. The deadline for applications is 24 August 2025.
This three-year residency is designed to provide advanced training that fulfils the requirements of the EBVS® European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine (ECAWBM) in Behavioural Medicine.
The behavioural medicine unit at Ghent University currently includes one EBVS®-certified specialist, one current EBVS® resident, one PhD student and a part-time collaborator. The behavioural specialist has training in all animal species. The behavioural medicine unit can rely on the support of many EBVS® specialists in relevant clinical disciplines for behavioural cases (such as neurology, orthopaedics, and anaesthesia), as well as on the expertise of the Research Group for Ethology and Animal Welfare (Prof. Dr. Christel Moons).
Additionally, a main support is provided by the medical imaging unit that dispose of a high-tech 320 slice CT scanner (for both small and large animals, including standing horses), a low-field MRI scanner (for both small and large animals) and a gamma camera for nuclear imaging (only for small animals).
Residents will rotate between different clinical locations in Belgium, Italy, and the UK, allowing them to gain broad and diverse clinical experience. Participation in after-hours emergency cases may be required. Periods of off-clinic time will be scheduled in accordance with the residency programme structure. Residents will also take part in case discussions, clinical rounds, and journal clubs.
In addition to clinical responsibilities, residents will have the opportunity to attend (inter)national conferences and continuing education events. They will develop skills in clinical research, scientific writing, and teaching, including lecture preparation and delivery. Engagement in a clinical or fundamental research project is a required component of the programme. A particular focus is placed on brain stimulation techniques, including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which represents an active and expanding area of collaboration between the behavioural medicine unit and colleagues in human medicine. Residents will be directly involved in this innovative therapeutic field.
Applicants are expected to have substantial experience in clinical veterinary medicine. Only veterinarians who are graduates of an EAEVE-approved veterinary school and are licensed or eligible to practice veterinary medicine in Belgium can be accepted for the programme. Moreover, they should have successfully completed a one-year rotating internship or have spent at least two years in practice gaining clinical experience and skills equivalent to anaccordance with EBVS guidelines.
The applicant must possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills and a demonstrated ability to work with others in a collegial team atmosphere. Applicants should have a good level of English language.
Appointments will be made for 12 months, with annual renewal based on satisfactory completion of the previous year.
Please email your curriculum vitae to Prof. Jimmy Saunders at jimmy.saunders@ugent.be.
The closing date for submitting the application is August 24, 2025. The final decision will be taken at latest on September 8, 2025.
For additional information, contact Prof. Anouck Haverbeke, at Anouck.Haverbeke@UGent.be.