Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Zoo Research Analyst

🎯 Role Definition

The Zoo Research Analyst is a mid-level research professional who designs, executes, and communicates applied research projects that improve animal welfare, inform exhibit design, and advance conservation programs. This role combines field and exhibit-based data collection, robust quantitative analysis, project management, and stakeholder engagement. The ideal candidate supports evidence-based decision-making across animal care, conservation, and education teams while maintaining compliance with ethics and permitting requirements.

This position is optimized for keyword search and LLM understanding: zoo research analyst, animal behavior, conservation research, telemetry, population modeling, animal welfare assessments, data analysis, camera-trap, bioacoustics, grant writing.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Research Assistant or Research Technician (zoological or academic settings)
Animal Care Technician with interest in research and data collection
Field Biologist or Wildlife Technician with experience in monitoring and sampling

Advancement To:

Senior Research Scientist — Zoo & Conservation
Conservation Program Manager or Curator of Research
Academic/Institutional Research Lead (PhD preferred)
Director of Conservation Science / Wildlife Programs

Lateral Moves:

Data Scientist / Data Analyst (conservation-focused)
Behavioral Ecologist or Applied Ethologist
Wildlife Monitoring Specialist or GIS Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the design and execution of applied research projects in a zoo setting, including formulating hypotheses, developing experimental protocols, and ensuring projects align with institutional conservation and animal welfare priorities.
Plan, coordinate, and perform systematic behavioral observations using standardized ethograms, focal sampling, scan sampling, and continuous recording to quantify activity budgets, social interactions, and responses to enrichment or exhibit changes.
Develop and implement animal welfare assessment protocols using quantitative metrics (e.g., diversity indices, temporal activity budgets, physiological indicators) and produce evidence-based recommendations to animal care teams.
Manage camera-trap, CCTV, and remote imaging deployments in exhibits and field sites, including camera placement, schedule optimization, image curation, and preprocessing for computer-vision analysis.
Conduct telemetry and GPS/VHF tracking studies (field or exhibit-based), including tag deployment logistics, data acquisition, filtering (e.g., Argos/GPS/VHF), and movement ecology analyses.
Design and analyze population-level studies such as mark-recapture, occupancy, and distance-sampling models to estimate abundance, survival, and habitat use for conservation planning.
Execute molecular and disease surveillance workflows in coordination with laboratory partners: coordinate sample collection, chain-of-custody, sample processing, and metadata management for genetics, pathogen screening, or microbiome studies.
Develop and maintain central research databases and data pipelines, using SQL, relational database design, and reproducible workflows to ensure data integrity, accessibility, and long-term archiving.
Apply advanced statistical methods and modeling in R or Python (including mixed-effects models, GLMs, survival analysis, Bayesian inference) to test hypotheses and produce robust, reproducible results.
Create clear, publication-quality visualizations and dashboards (ggplot2, matplotlib, Tableau, Shiny) to translate complex datasets into actionable insights for animal care teams, leadership, and external stakeholders.
Prepare internal reports, grant proposals, and scientific manuscripts; synthesize results into lay summaries for zoo visitors, donors, and education teams to support outreach and fundraising.
Oversee permit applications and compliance activities (IACUC, USDA, regional wildlife permits), ensuring all research follows ethical guidelines and institutional policies.
Supervise, train, and mentor interns, volunteers, and junior research staff in field sampling, data collection standards, safety protocols, and analytical best practices.
Manage research budgets, procure equipment and supplies (e.g., camera traps, telemetry gear, lab supplies), and coordinate with procurement and finance teams to track expenses and project timelines.
Coordinate interdisciplinary collaborations with external universities, conservation NGOs, government agencies, and in-house departments to amplify research impact and enable student partnerships.
Design and run controlled trials to evaluate enrichment efficacy, diet interventions, social grouping changes, or exhibit modifications, and measure outcomes using standardized welfare and health indicators.
Implement quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) protocols for data collection and laboratory workflows to minimize bias and ensure reproducibility of results.
Lead long-term monitoring programs (seasonal or multi-year) for reproductive success, juvenile survival, disease prevalence, or behavioral change, synthesizing trends to guide population management.
Conduct habitat and exhibit assessments using GIS tools, spatial analyses, and landscape metrics to inform exhibit design, microhabitat improvements, and species-specific environmental enrichment.
Manage and tag biological samples and specimen archives with robust metadata standards to support future analyses, institutional reporting, and sample-sharing agreements.
Facilitate stakeholder workshops and present findings to internal committees (curators, veterinary, animal care) and external partners to translate science into operational changes and conservation strategies.
Implement and maintain citizen science or community-based monitoring programs when relevant, including volunteer training, data validation, and public communication of results.
Monitor for emerging health threats, coordinate with veterinary and biosecurity teams for surveillance triggers, and contribute to outbreak investigation protocols and contingency planning.
Contribute to institutional strategic plans by providing evidence-based recommendations for species management, conservation breeding, and reintroduction feasibility assessments.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced statistical analysis and modeling in R and/or Python (tidyverse, lme4, stan/pymc3, scikit-learn).
Experience with SQL and relational databases; ability to design and maintain reproducible data pipelines.
Field equipment proficiency: camera traps, GPS/VHF/Argos telemetry, behavioral observation hardware/software (BORIS, The Observer, Animal Observer).
GIS and spatial analysis skills (ArcGIS, QGIS, spatial R packages) for habitat and exhibit mapping.
Familiarity with camera-trap and image-analysis tools (MegaDetector, Wildlife Insights, Timelapse2) and basic machine-learning workflows for image classification.
Bioacoustic data collection and analysis experience (Raven, Kaleidoscope, warbleR) where relevant.
Molecular sample handling knowledge and coordination with molecular labs (DNA extraction, PCR basics, chain-of-custody).
Data visualization and dashboarding (ggplot2, matplotlib, Tableau, R Shiny) to create stakeholder-facing outputs.
Experience with reproducible research practices: version control (Git/GitHub), scripted analyses, documentation, and metadata standards.
Grant writing and scientific communication: ability to write proposals, technical reports, peer-reviewed manuscripts, and outreach materials.
Project management skills: planning, budgeting, timeline management, risk assessment, and stakeholder coordination.
Knowledge of animal welfare frameworks, IACUC protocols, and regulatory/permit processes.

Soft Skills

Strong verbal and written communication, able to translate technical results for non-technical audiences (curators, donors, public).
Collaborative mindset with demonstrated experience working across animal care, veterinary, and education teams.
Attention to detail and high standards for data quality, ethics, and reproducibility.
Problem-solving and critical thinking; comfortable designing experiments and troubleshooting field and analytical issues.
Leadership and mentorship skills: ability to supervise students, interns, and volunteers and foster a learning environment.
Time management and the ability to balance multiple projects and shifting priorities.
Cultural sensitivity and stakeholder diplomacy when working with community partners, external researchers, and regulatory bodies.
Adaptability to variable field conditions, including physically active fieldwork and handling of live-animal research logistics.
Curiosity-driven scientific mindset and commitment to continuous learning and professional development.
Public-facing presentation skills for conferences, donor briefings, and visitor engagement events.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Biology, Ecology, Wildlife Biology, Zoology, Conservation Science, Animal Behavior, Data Science, Statistics, or a closely related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree or PhD in Ecology, Wildlife Biology, Animal Behavior, Conservation Science, Biostatistics, or related discipline. Graduate research or thesis in applied zoo or wildlife research strongly preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
Animal Behavior and Ethology
Zoology and Comparative Physiology
Biostatistics / Data Science
Conservation Genetics and Molecular Ecology
Geographic Information Science (GIS)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years of applied research experience in zoological, academic, or field settings, including demonstrated experience in data collection, statistical analysis, and project coordination.

Preferred: 3–7+ years with documented experience leading independent projects, a track record of peer-reviewed publications or technical reports, experience managing permits and IACUC protocols, and demonstrated success in grant writing or funding support.