What degree did you study?
I completed a BSc Animal Welfare and Behaviour at the University of Lincoln, specialising in companion animal behaviour.
How did you get your job?
I got into the field through agency work with Agenda Life Sciences. This gave me experience and helped me build contacts, and I regularly expressed my interest in a permanent role. When a full-time position became available, the team already knew me and the standard of my work.
I worked as an animal technician within Oxford University's Biomedical Sciences division, where part of my role involved supporting the Wood Group in the Department of Paediatrics. The group research neuromuscular diseases affecting children, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
As the amount of research I was carrying out for the group increased, it became difficult to balance this alongside my wider animal technician responsibilities. After I raised this with the group, they offered me a full-time position as their dedicated in vivo research technician.
What's a typical working day like?
Most days, I spend time in the animal unit carrying out regulated procedures. These commonly include IV injections and administering investigational compounds to mice as part of studies assessing factors such as toxicity, targeting and effectiveness. I may also perform surgical procedures when a compound needs to be administered to the brain or spinal cord.
When I am not performing regulated procedures, I work with researchers to prepare study documents and plans, helping to ensure studies follow the three Rs:
- replacement
- reduction
- refinement.
I also process data from previous studies and maintain accurate records of the animal work carried out and the resulting data.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy the variety. I am continually learning new techniques and taking on new responsibilities.
What are the challenges?
The role requires you to think quickly and adapt to changing situations. For example, an animal may become unwell or need to be replaced within a study, or a study plan may change unexpectedly. These situations can be challenging, so staying calm, flexible and able to problem solve is important.
How is your degree relevant?
Assessing whether an animal is unwell or in pain can be challenging because animals can't tell us when something is wrong. My degree gave me a strong foundation in animal behaviour and welfare, which helps me recognise subtle changes and assess animals carefully during studies. This helps us protect animal welfare before, during and after procedures, while also ensuring that observations and potential treatment effects are recorded accurately before research can progress further.
How has your role developed and what are your career ambitions?
I have taken on additional responsibilities, including contributing to the rewriting of our project licence for review and helping to prepare licence amendments. I've also become involved in committees beyond my core role. This includes an internal committee working to increase recognition for technical and support staff and to create more opportunities for career progression and professional development.
I want to continue developing my practical skills in animal procedures and learn as many techniques as possible, with a strong focus on performing them well. In the future, I may move away from some of the practical work and pursue project management or explore the regulatory and legal side of animal research, including work connected with Home Office requirements. One of the things I value about this field is the range of different career paths that can develop from the work I do now.
What advice can you give to others wanting to get into this job?
- Keep an eye out for new opportunities and put yourself forward, even if you're unsure whether you'll be successful. Roles aren't always advertised under obvious job titles, so it’s worth contacting research departments directly. Expressing an interest can help you build experience, make connections and be remembered when opportunities arise.
- Be flexible. You can plan carefully, but circumstances may change on the day, so you need to be ready to problem solve and adapt while maintaining high standards.
- A genuine commitment to animal welfare is essential. I care deeply about the animals I work with, and that motivates me to approach every task carefully, give my best effort and maintain high standards of welfare throughout my work.
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