Wildlife Physiologist

Wildlife Physiologist 3 (PCN 112036)

Effective July 1, 2026, the wage for this position increased by 2.5%. The wage listed in this job posting reflects the increase.

This position is open to Alaska Residents only. Please check our residency definition to determine if you qualify.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation is recruiting for a Wildlife Physiologist 3 located in Palmer, Alaska!

The incumbent will design, execute, and coordinate research to quantify the relationships between physiological and behavioral measures of large terrestrial mammals with forages, snow, climate, fire, anthropogenic, and other factors of their natural environments. Duties include overseeing operations at ADFG’s Foraging Ecology and Wildlife Nutritional Analysis lab, including caretaking of captive moose and caribou used in research and field-based sampling of forages, and observing captive animals in situ.

This position requires substantial cooperation and coordination with other biologists within and external to ADFG, and supervision of several staff members.

ADFG maintains active and comprehensive management and research programs to ensure fish and wildlife populations are “utilized, developed, and maintained on the sustained yield principle,” in accordance with Alaska’s Constitution. The incumbent will contribute to this mission by enhancing the quality and breadth of scientific information to help wildlife managers, the public, and the Board of Game to make informed decisions regarding our shared resources.

The Division of Wildlife Conservation’s Central-southwest Region 4 encompasses an area the size of Montana, with some of the most spectacular landscapes and wildlife species on Earth. Members of our research team work with biologists from across ADFG as well as Federal agencies, Native Corporations, academic institutions, and NGOs to develop scientific products to inform sustainable management of wildlife populations.

This position will be stationed at the Foraging Ecology and Wildlife Nutritional Analysis laboratory on the UAF Experiment Farm, located approximately 10 miles from the Region IV office in Palmer, AK. The lab has captive animal facilities and a laboratory for conducting a wide array of foraging, nutritional, physiological, and biochemical analyses and investigations. The position requires occasional travel to the field and to area offices.

The position may require travel for fieldwork (up to 14 days at a time at least twice a year).

• Independently design and execute major foraging ecology, behavioral, physiology, and nutritional studies related to improving management and understanding of large game species in Alaska.
• Supervise technical and professional staff, potentially including graduate students, performing both field and laboratory duties, analyses, and preparation of scientific products (e.g., peer-reviewed publications).
• Collaborate and coordinate with staff from ADFG, other agencies, Native Corporations, academic institutions, and various government and non-government entities to complete research projects on behalf of ADFG.
• Provide expertise to a broad range of staff within and external to ADFG on matters of research and monitoring program design, analyses and inferences from research, and evaluation of previous or ongoing research.
• Represent ADFG to members of the public, media, Board of Game, and other agencies by providing information related to ADFG wildlife research and management efforts.

• Valid Driver’s License required.
• Wildland fire fighting certification (recommended).
• Institutional Animal Care and Use protocol approvals.
• Animal capture and drug safety training.

A master’s degree from an accredited college, in biology with an emphasis in physiology or nutritional biochemistry, which includes at least 8 semester hours or 12 quarter hours of graduate level physiology or nutritional biochemistry coursework. AND Two years of advanced professional level physiologist experience…