Duration:
Starting ASAP, contract length up to 24 weeks
Hours of Work:
Up to 24 hours per week
Number of Positions Open: 1
Looking for a career with a dynamic organization that is committed to protecting wildlife? We are interested in dedicated individuals who are positive, enthusiastic, and passionate about connecting people, animals, conservation science and traditional knowledge to fight extinction.
Your Toronto Zoo makes animal well-being a priority in all operations and shows respect for all wildlife.
Position
Purpose:
The PantherAI Research Assistant is a grant-funded position (AZA Animal Care and Well-being Grants Fund for the project, “PantherAI: an autonomous behavioural monitoring tool for assessing activity budget and space use in zoo-housed tigers”) responsible for assisting in behavioural research to assess animal welfare. The applicant’s role will be primarily computer-based, involving large-scale annotation of video data and validation of AI-based behavioural detection models to support quantitative assessments of wildlife behaviour.
They will work with the Manager of Welfare Science and other Welfare Science team members on various projects as they relate to welfare and other duties as directed. This position will assist and provide support in implementing the approved Strategic Plan.
Role Responsibilities:
- Assist with annotating video data using conventional computer vison annotation tools.
- Assist with validating model performance for detecting animal behaviour through concordance testing, specifically by verifying AI-based predictions against manual, ground-truthed observations.
- Assist with the collection, processing, and analysis of data.
- Assist with any individual projects of interest in collaboration with Wildlife Science and Wildlife Care staff, under the guidance and direction of the Manager of Welfare Sciences and Supervisor of Behavioural Husbandry.
- Assist with the development and delivery of education programs and materials related to welfare science programing to interested groups.
- May assist with day-to-day operations and ongoing behavioural monitoring projects as directed by supervisor.
- Participate and engage in scheduled meetings and check‑ins with supervisor to review goals, receive feedback, and discuss development opportunities.
- Provides regular updates to the supervisor.
- Ensures all accidents and hazards are reported to the supervisor immediately.
- Must adhere to all health and safety policies as outlined by the Zoo, including use of all proper PPE.
- Reports to the supervisor the absence of or any defect in any equipment or protective device that they are aware of and which may endanger themselves or another staff member.
- Reports to supervisor any contravention of the Ontario Health & Safety Act.
- Works in a safe manner at all times in compliance with Health & Safety, WHMIS, and Toronto Zoo policies and procedures. Performs all duties in compliance with industry standards including AZA, Occupational Health & Safety Act, legislated regulations, and recommended equipment/manufacturers guidelines.
- Follows all policies and branch instructions.
- Attends appropriate training as required.
Skills:
- Must be enrolled in a science program (university level) OR possess a bachelor’s degree with an emphasis on zoology, biology, animal behaviour, psychology, animal welfare science or other relevant fields, or the equivalent amount of training and related experience.
- Must have a knowledge of conservation issues and the role of current technologies to monitor overall animal welfare.
- Must have an understanding of interobserver reliability methods, or an interest in learning about concordance testing for ensuring reliable behavioural monitoring methods.
- Must be able to…
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