Animal Welfare and Research Technician

Netholabs Ltd.; Brighton; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Netholabs Ltd. in Brighton is seeking an Animal Research Technician to support daily husbandry, behavioural data collection, and licensed procedures in a hands-on role.

You will aid with welfare monitoring, log sessions, and help maintain high standards of animal care in a regulated research facility. The role requires following Home Office standards, documenting activities meticulously, and striving toward a Home Office Personal Licence (PIL) as applicable.

Qualifications

• Prior experience in animal husbandry or laboratory animal care.
• Comfortable and confident handling animals calmly and safely.
• Organised, reliable and detail-oriented; follow protocols precisely and document as you go.
• Good communication and a strong commitment to animal welfare.
• Willingness to work towards a Home Office Personal Licence (PIL) if not already held.

Responsibilities

• Carry out daily husbandry: feeding, housing checks, and enrichment.
• Monitor animal health and welfare, and flag concerns promptly.
• Maintain accurate welfare and health records per Home Office and AWERB requirements.
• Support behavioural and neurobehavioural data collection sessions following SOPs.
• Handle animals calmly to minimise stress during testing and log sessions accurately.

Skills

Animal care

Handling animals

Documentation

Communication

PIL readiness

Python basics

Tools

Python basics

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. 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