Swine Research Specialist C

University of Pennsylvania•Kennett Square, PA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The primary function and purpose of this position is to support ongoing research activities within our research program on swine welfare and behavior. This includes animal care, data collection and analysis as well as organizational efforts needed to coordinate project activities. This entails ordering, data and technology management, regulatory paperwork, and communication with collaborators. Position located in Kennett Square, PA. No public transportation is available. We are a laboratory that studies animal behavior and welfare. The successful candidate will perform experimental approaches, involving analyzing behavior from video recordings. This involves first developing an ethogram – a list and definitions of behaviors that are relevant to the question being asked. Then, after the behaviors are quantified, statistical models are run on the data to look for significant treatment effects. The models are unique to each experiment and need to be developed and tested for each new data set. The candidate will also use accelerometers (essentially Fitbits for animals) to track animal behavior. We have recruited a tech company to collaborate on this work, and the new hire will be the primary point of contact and will work independently with this external party. The new hire will oversee the simultaneous collection of video, audio, and accelerometer data (including finding new and improved ways to attach Fitbit-like devices to the animals), data management, ground-truth coding of the data, and its transfer to the tech company for AI analysis.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science and 3 to 5 years of experience is required.
Must also train and supervise undergraduates to contribute to video coding.
Position located in Kennett Square, no public transportation available.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in animal welfare and behavior with the training to conduct this work independently is preferred.

Responsibilities

Design and carry out experiments independently
Maintain general supplies for the lab
Carry out trouble-shooting on experiments
Write sections of manuscripts and progress reports describing research results
Analyze and interpret data
Maintain records of experiments
Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Benefits

Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.
Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.
Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.