Laboratory Animal Behavior Intern

Zoetis; Lincoln (NE); On-site; USD 22,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Zoetis invites you to join a global animal welfare internship focused on behavioral medicine within clinical care. Designed for a PhD in Behavioral Animal Science or a DVM pursuing ACLAM, under mentorship you gain hands-on exposure to welfare assessments and enrichment across diverse species.

Based in Lincoln, NE, the program includes an intern project and opportunities to contribute to welfare improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

• PhD in Behavioral Animal Science or DVM with ACLAM interest.
• Interest in clinical application of behavioral medicine.
• Experience coursework/externship in laboratory animal medicine is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Complete mentored project addressing a behavioral welfare challenge and present findings.
• Observe welfare assessments with veterinarians and identify species-typical vs abnormal behaviors.
• Assist with environmental enrichment and low-stress handling under supervision.
• Participate in clinical rounds and welfare-based clinical decision-making.
• Collect and organize welfare data using digital tools for program metrics.
• Engage in staff training to convey behavioral science concepts.

Skills

Animal behavior basics

Welfare assessment

Enrichment strategies

Low-stress handling

Clinical application of behavior

Data organization (BI tools)

Education

PhD in Behavioral Animal Science

DVM or VMD from AVMA- accredited institution

ACLAM interest or intent

Tools

Microsoft Outlook

Excel

Power BI

Job description

Role Description:

Join a global animal welfare program that places behavioral medicine at the center of daily clinical care. This internship is designed for a PhD graduate in Behavioral Animal Science or DVM graduate with a passion for the clinical application of laboratory animal medicine and behavior who is considering or actively pursuing ACLAM board eligibility. Under the mentorship of board-certified laboratory animal veterinarians, you will gain hands‑on exposure to laboratory animal and behavioral health assessments, species‑specific enrichment programs, and welfare improvement initiatives across a diverse animal population. You will also complete an intern project that you can carry forward into your professional career and/or ACLAM board portfolio.

LABORATORY ANIMAL BEHAVIOR INTERN

Location: Lincoln, NE

Internship Summary:

This internship is structured to accelerate your development as a laboratory animal clinician/scientist with a behavioral lens. By the end of the program, you will have built meaningful hands‑on experience inside one of the world’s leading animal health companies — and you will have contributed to it in a real way. Your project, grounded in the clinical application of behavior and animal welfare, will be a direct expression of Zoetis’s purpose: nurturing our world and humankind by advancing care for animals. What you learn here, and what you leave behind, will matter.

Internship Job Duties:

• Complete a mentored project focused on a clinical behavioral welfare challenge or project of your choosing—developing a practical solution and presenting your findings to the program team.

• Observe and participate in behavioral welfare assessments alongside supervising laboratory animal veterinarians, learning to identify species-typical vs. abnormal behaviors in rodents, companion animals, agricultural animals, and other laboratory species.

• Shadow and assist with the evaluation of environmental enrichment strategies and low-stress, positive reinforcement-based handling protocols under direct veterinary supervision.

• Participate in clinical rounds with the veterinary team, gaining exposure to behavioral assessments, humane endpoint recognition, and welfare-based clinical decision-making.

• Assist in the collection and organization of behavioral welfare data using digital tools, contributing to program metrics that support continuous welfare improvement.

• Participate in staff enrichment and training activities, gaining experience communicating behavioral science concepts to animal care technicians and husbandry teams.

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Internship Qualifications:

Education and Experience (required):

• PhD in Behavioral Animal Science

• DVM or VMD degree from an AVMA-accredited institution.

• Demonstrated interest in laboratory animal medicine, including eligibility or intent to pursue ACLAM board certification; prior laboratory animal medicine coursework, externship, or clinical rotation experience is a plus.

Knowledge and Skills (desired):

• Foundational knowledge of animal behavioral science, including normal and abnormal behavior patterns in common laboratory species.

• Interest in the clinical—rather than purely research—application of behavioral medicine: welfare assessment, enrichment, low-stress handling, and patient-centered care.

• Basic familiarity with behavioral welfare assessment frameworks such as the Five Domains model or grimace scale methodology.

• Experience using digital tools and applications including, but not limited to, Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Power BI or comparable platforms for data organization and presentation.

The following hourly pay rates reflect the anticipated base pay for this position:

If the selected candidate is a student pursuing an Associate-level degree: $16.00 per hour

If the selected candidate is a student pursuing an Undergraduate-level degree: $22.00 per hour

If the selected candidate is a student pursing a Graduate-level degree: $32.50 per hour

If the selected candidate is a student pursuing a Doctorate-level degree: $36.00 per hour

The following hourly pay rates reflect the anticipated base pay for this position if a selected candidate were to be located in California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois (Chicago area), Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington (Seattle area):

Student pursuing an Associate-level degree: $17.00 per hour

Student pursuing an Undergraduate-level degree: $24.20 per hour

Student pursing a Graduate-level degree: $36.40 per hour

Student pursuing a Doctorate-level degree: $40.30 per hour

Full time

Regular

Colleague

Zoetis is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status or any other protected classification. Disabled individuals are given an equal opportunity to use our online application system. We offer reasonable accommodations as an alternative if requested by an individual with a disability. Please contact Zoetis Colleague Services at [e-mail] to request an accommodation. Zoetis also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act. All applicants must possess or obtain authorization to work in the US for Zoetis. Zoetis retains sole and exclusive discretion to pursue sponsorship for the acquisition or maintenance of nonimmigrant status and employment eligibility, considering factors such as availability of qualified US workers. Individuals requiring sponsorship must disclose this fact. Please note that Zoetis seeks information related to job applications from candidates for jobs in the U.S. solely via the following: (1) our company website at www.Zoetis.com/careers site, or (2) via email to/from addresses using only the Zoetis domain of "@zoetis.com". In addition, Zoetis does not use Google Hangout for any recruitment related activities. Any solicitation or request for information related to job applications with Zoetis via any other means and/or utilizing email addresses with any other domain should be disregarded. In addition, Zoetis will never ask candidates to make any type of personal financial investment related to gaining employment with Zoetis.