Shrimp Affective Phenotyping
Ethologist / Neuroscientist

Shrimp Affective Phenotyping
Ethologist / Neuroscientist
Location: Remote (Global)
Compensation: $50K–$100K USD
Organization: Nonprofit – Genetics for Animal Welfare

About the Role:

We’re breeding shrimp for improved welfare, animals less likely to experience excess distress like chronic pain and anxiety. To do this, we’re partnering with large-scale breeding programs. To be clear, this does not involve gene editing, only selective breeding.
We’re looking for a scientist who can turn welfare goals into practical, measurable phenotypes in shrimp and prioritize them in a way that leads to actionable selection protocols that balance traits across welfare indexes. That includes designing challenge tests, behavioral assays, and physiological measures of affective state or nociception, potentially integrating PLF tools (like sensors or video tracking) when appropriate.

This role is ideal for someone who studies the biological and behavioral consequences of affective states and can work within the practical constraints of commercial breeding programs.

Key Responsibilities:
 

• Design and validate behavioral and physiological assays that reflect welfare-relevant traits (e.g. stress resilience, nociception, activity recovery)

• Create challenge tests or structured protocols that can be used in real-world breeding settings

• Evaluate the potential use and implementation of precision livestock farming tools and machine learning, including video, acoustic, and biometric sensors

• Define standard operating procedures for consistent phenotyping across breeding environments

• Provide guidance on setting up challenge tests and other ways of selecting for improvements in the affective experiences of shrimp.

Qualifications:

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• Note, these are ideal. You don’t necessarily have to have them all to be a great choice for the role.

• MSc or PhD in Animal Welfare Science, Ethology, Aquatic Physiology, or a related discipline

• Experience designing or validating behavioral or physiological assays in aquatic species (shrimp strongly preferred; fish acceptable)

• Familiarity with the neurobiology of nociception, stress responses, affective behavior, and welfare monitoring

• Exposure to or experience with PLF tools (video tracking, sensors, automated scoring)

• Ability to work in interdisciplinary teams, translate welfare ideas into measurable outputs, and collaborate with commercial breeding companies

• Strong documentation and communication skills; scientific integrity and clarity are essential

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We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital, veteran, or disability status.
 

Apply here.​​

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