Director of Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare Research

ASPCA; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 105,000 - 136,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401(k) plan with employer match

Paid holidays

Professional development

Job summary

The ASPCA is seeking a Director of Applied Behavior Research to lead internal projects on companion animal welfare and behavior in shelters across the nation. This remote-based role requires strong data visualization skills, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to translate findings into practical practices for shelter staff and program leadership.

You will supervise no direct reports, travel up to 15% for conferences and field operations, and contribute to ASPCA research initiatives

Qualifications

• PhD in animal behavior field (required).
• Minimum of 6 years of professional research experience (post-PhD).
• Experience writing peer‑reviewed scientific publications.
• Leadership experience in research projects.
• Applied companion animal behavior experience preferred.
• CAAB or ability to become certified within one year of hire.
• Dr. Sophia Yin’s Low Stress Handling certification required or obtained within 6 months.

Responsibilities

• Design and oversee collaborative applied behavior research projects.
• Lead interdisciplinary teams and manage project timelines.
• Translate research findings into practical applications for ASPCA programs.
• Mentor interns and junior colleagues; manage consultants as needed.
• Communicate research to diverse audiences via articles and presentations.

Skills

Leadership

Research

Peer‑reviewed publications

Applied behavior

CAAB certification

Low Stress Handling

Data visualization

Education

PhD in animal behavior

Tools

R

Python

SPSS

Stata

Excel

Job description

The ASPCA is seeking a Director of Applied Behavior Research to lead internal projects on companion animal welfare and behavior in shelters across the nation. This remote-based role requires strong data visualization skills, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to translate findings into practical practices for shelter staff and program leadership.

You will supervise no direct reports, travel up to 15% for conferences and field operations, and contribute to ASPCA research initiatives