Animal Welfare and Research Technician

Netholabs; Brighton; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Netholabs in Brighton is seeking an Animal Research Technician to support day-to-day care and use of animals in our research program. You’ll work under welfare leads, perform daily husbandry, assist with behavioural data collection, and help with licensed procedures.

This execution role requires precise protocol adherence and a strong commitment to animal welfare and data quality, with potential to work toward a PIL and Home Office-compliant practices.

Qualifications

• Experience in animal husbandry or laboratory animal care.
• Comfortable handling animals calmly and safely.
• Ability to follow protocols precisely and document work.
• Strong communication and commitment to animal welfare.
• Willingness to pursue Home Office Personal Licence (PIL).

Responsibilities

• Carry out daily husbandry: feeding, housing checks, enrichment.
• Support behavioural data collection sessions following SOPs.
• Assist with regulated procedures under Home Office licences.
• Maintain clean, organised facilities and routine equipment checks.

Skills

Animal husbandry

Animal handling

Attention to detail

Communication

PIL pursuit

Python scripting

Tools

Python

Job description

Type: Full-time
Location: Brighton — On-site
Compensation: £38,000–£48,000/year, in accordance with experience

The Role

Netholabs is building AI grounded in biological intelligence. We record petascale, high-resolution neurobehavioural data from living systems and use it to train neural foundation models — a new substrate for the next generation of AI, robotics, and personalised intelligence. We aim to greatly reduce the burden of animals used in basic scientific research and pharmacological work, with eventual removal and replacement by in silico models.

We’re looking for a reliable, hands-on Animal Research Technician to support the day-to-day care and use of animals in our Brighton research programme. Working under our veterinary and welfare leads, you’ll be responsible for daily husbandry, supporting behavioural data collection sessions, assisting with licensed procedures, and keeping our facility running to a high standard. This is an execution role: you’ll follow established protocols and Home Office standards precisely, and help make sure animal welfare and data quality are never compromised.

Responsibilities

Husbandry & Welfare

• Carry out daily husbandry: feeding, housing checks, and enrichment

• Monitor animal health and welfare, and flag concerns promptly

• Maintain accurate welfare and health records in line with Home Office and AWERB requirements

Behavioural Testing & Data Collection

• Support behavioural and neurobehavioural data collection sessions following established SOPs

• Handle animals calmly and consistently to minimise stress during testing

• Log sessions accurately and flag anything anomalous

Licensed Procedures

• Assist with regulated procedures under the relevant Home Office project licence (PPL)

• Work towards or hold a Home Office Personal Licence (PIL) for the species and procedures involved

• Follow ASPA (Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986) requirements and site-specific SOPs at all times

Facility & Equipment

• Maintain clean, well-organised, and session-ready facilities

• Carry out routine equipment checks, cleaning, and maintenance

• Maintain supply inventory and flag restocking needs

Requirements

Core (essential)

• Prior experience in animal husbandry or laboratory animal care

• Comfortable and confident handling animals calmly and safely

• Organised, reliable, and detail-oriented; able to follow protocols precisely and document as you go

• Good communication and a strong personal commitment to animal welfare

• Willingness to work towards a Home Office Personal Licence (PIL) if not already held

Valued (or willing to learn)

• Existing Home Office Personal Licence (PIL)

• Experience with behavioural testing, motion capture, or physiological recording setups

• Familiarity with AWERB processes and Home Office record-keeping standards

• Basic Python or scripting for logging and data organisation