Laboratory Animal Behavior Intern

About the Role

This internship is designed for a PhD student in Behavioral Animal Science or a DVM student with a passion for the clinical application of laboratory animal medicine and behavior who is considering or actively pursuing ACLAM board eligibility. 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, under the mentorship of board-certified laboratory animal veterinarians. You will also complete an intern project that you can carry forward into your professional career and/or ACLAM board portfolio.

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.

Qualifications

Education and Experience (required)

• Pursuing a PhD in Behavioral Animal Science.
• Or pursuing a 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.