Call for grant applications: Postdoc research in the intersection of ecology and wild animal welfare science

Research on wild animal welfare is growing, though it is still significantly behind similar work carried out about domesticated animals. In addition, it often focuses on the welfare of captive wild animals rather than animals living outside human control, either in wild or in other areas (such as urban, agricultural or semi-wild areas). Work in different fields of ecology, in turn, assess many aspects of the lives of these animals, but their welfare is not one of them. Due to the lack of work on this topic, Animal Ethics is calling for applications for a grant to carry out a research project in the intersection of wild animal welfare and ecology (which has been referred to as welfare biology).

We are looking for a highly motivated  PhD graduate who wants to do innovative work in this area. The duration of the grant is one year, to be paid in monthly payments of $2,500, totaling $30,000.

Eligibility criteria

A doctoral degree and research experience are required.

The project must have strong potential for impact in terms of either informing practice or fostering further academic work. Eligible areas of work include:

• Research exploring methods to assess the welfare of animals living in the wild
• Work on the ways animals can be negatively affected by natural causes, or a combination of both indirect anthropogenic and natural factors (the project should not be focused on anthropogenic harms suffered by animals, such as those caused by captivity or hunting)
• Research on how to assess the ways to aid animals suffering due to those factors (for instance, vaccination, feeding programs, etc.)
• Work on urban ecology applied to assess the wellbeing of animals in urban, suburban, or industrial areas

Applications are open to researchers from most nationalities and countries. The successful candidate will be expected to report to Animal Ethics regularly on their progress and submit a final financial report within 60 days of receiving the last grant payment. There are no restrictions on the location of the institution where the research will be carried out as long as OFAC compliance requirements are met.

Grant application timeline 

• Application deadline: July 31, 2019
• Expected announcement of selected candidates: no later than August 31, 2019
• Research start date must be between September and December 2019

How to apply

Please submit the following documents (in English) to academic(a)animal-ethics.org:

• Your CV
• Details of the research project to be developed, including the publication(s) you plan to write with the results and their expected impact
• A letter of acceptance by the researcher at the host institution who will supervise your work
• A short cover letter stating why you are the right person to carry out the research project and why the chosen host institution is an appropriate place for it to be developed

Please submit these as four separate documents rather than combining them into one.

About us

Animal Ethics is a nonprofit organization formed to provide information and promote research about issues affecting animals in general, with a particular focus on animals in the wild. We are based in the USA, and also work in Europe and Latin America.