Population Biology Science Industry Placement in Chester

Full-time voluntary industrial placement (up to 12 months) commencing September 2026.

Are you excited by the prospect of gaining invaluable work experience with one of Europe’s leading Zoological collections? Chester Zoo aims to be a centre of excellence for animal and plant care based on sound scientific principles. The Population Biology Science placement will provide valuable training and experience that will be essential for all aspiring conservationists.

What you’ll be doing:

• Working in a team environment with the Lead Conservation Scientist, Senior Conservation Scientist, and Conservation Scientist specialising in Population Biology.
• Learn in depth about species conservation and the role that zoos play.
• Support research into diverse areas such as population monitoring, viability and sustainability, best practice for species husbandry, population reintroductions or reinforcement, and human-wildlife conflict and coexistence.
• An opportunity to conduct a specific Population Biology research project related to either zoo populations or as part of our field conservation programmes.
• Potential opportunities to attend conferences to present your project.
• Analyse data, report findings and write summary articles and documents for a range of stakeholders, potentially including the opportunity to be part of peer-reviewed publications.

The Work Placement:

• The year in industry placement is for a period of up to 12 months commencing in September 2026.
• Full Training with the Conservation & Science Teams.
• Uniform provided, along with lunch vouchers for the days you attend.
• Monthly stipends of up to £120 per month may be payable based on appropriate expenses.
• Full Time Hours (40 hours per week), alternatives can be discussed if you are successfully shortlisted.

Our Requirements:

• A passion for biodiversity conservation and the role of zoos in conservation.
• Being highly organised and proactive in your approach to work.
• An interest in using and analysing data to answer scientific questions.
• The ability to search for, and synthesise, scientific literature.
• Willingness to write and deliver oral presentations in a clear, concise and engaging manner.
• A desire to learn how science can be used to help support and inform conservation in a zoo setting.
• Experience of using Microsoft Office software such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook and statistical software such as R.

This opportunity is only available to those studying at a UK university on a degree programme with an industrial year. Industrial placements are full-time voluntary positions for a maximum of a year, commencing September 2026. Please be aware no direct animal contact takes place in this role.

We are committed to being an inclusive and diverse organisation and encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Interested in applying?

To apply for this opportunity, click the ‘apply for job’ button on this page where you’ll need to submit a CV and covering letter detailing your qualifications, interest in the position and your university and degree programme.

As part of your application, we would also like you to create a short, 2-minute video answering 2 questions. Further details on this will be included within the application form.

Do you want to find out more about these placements? Speak to our experts? Register for our Zoom webinar on 13/1/26 at 5pm! Register in advance for this meeting: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.