research topics for animal science

162 Best Animal Research Topics To Nail Your Paper In 2023

The world is filled with living things. There are some animals that we know about, some that we will discover, and there are many that we might never know about. All our knowledge about animals is mostly dependant on researchers.

Well, we are rooting for you to be the next great researcher. Be it zoology, veterinary, or live wild stock, your study needs a research topic. If you’re looking for the best animal research topics to nail this year, we’re here with your help.

Table of Contents

Best Animal Research Topics

We have 162 Animal Research Topics that will help you get the best grades this year.

Physiology of Animals Research Topics

• Description of the knowledge required to work in animal physiology
• Study of animal species with different specialties in the sciences of nature and life
• Life sciences and socioeconomic impacts
• Neurulation appendages birds
• Exercises on gastrulation and neurulation
• Gastrulation amphibians birds
• Fertilization segmentation in the sea species
• Gametogenesis: A Detailed Introduction
• Study of Delimitation: bird appendages
• Particularities of the developmental biology of certain species
• Technical-commercial animal physiology
• Terrestrial and marine ecosystems
• Animal biology and forensic science: Is there a connection?
• Animal Biology Biotechnology and molecules of interest regarding food and industry
• The interest in biology in the diagnosis of animal and plant diseases
• Toxicology and environmental health concerns in animal physiology
• Animal and plant production
• Fundamentals of animal physiology research and analysis
• Behavior and evolution Genetics of behavior in animals
• Adaptation and evolution of behavior
• Comparative studies of general ecology, zoology, and animal physiology
• Study of animals about the conditions prevailing in their immediate environment
• Endocrine and neuroendocrine systems in animals
• Studying the nervous systems in birds
• Genitals and reproductive physiology of birds
• Understanding of the anatomical and functional particularities of invertebrates
• Biology and physiology of invertebrates
• Reconstruction of phylogenetic trees
• Morpho-anatomical arguments and the importance of fossils
• Argued classification of animals
• Study of the evolution of living organisms by making updates on recent advances in Animalia
• Phylogeny and Animal Evolution
• Principles of echolocation in the bats
• Possible evolution of the increase in complexity of the primitive nervous system
• The nervous system of the insect
• Circulation in animal physiology
• Animals without a differentiated circulatory system
• Water and mineral balance in animals
• Thermoregulation in animals
• Musculoskeletal system in animals
• Study of animal blood
• Biological rhythms of animals
• Skin and teguments of mammals
• Animal nutrition and metabolism
• Hormones and endocrine system of animals
• Emerging organic pollutants
• Mechanisms of toxicity in animals
• Animal physiology in animals from temperate regions
• Genetic correlations between animal species
• Animal communities, forest ecology, and forest birds
• Wildlife-habitat modeling

Looking for research topics in general? Read 402  General Research Paper Topics

Animal Research Topics For Student

• Impact of the agricultural raw materials crisis on the marketing of livestock feed
• Analysis of the competitiveness of poultry produced in the USA
• Animal cruelty in USA and European countries
• Seroprevalence of neosporosis in cattle herds
• The peri-urban dairy sector
• Effect of the liberalization of the veterinary profession on the vaccination coverage of livestock
• Why do people kill animals? The psyche behind animal cruelty
• Evaluation of the growth performance of three sheep breeds
• Study on the protection of terrestrial ecosystems
• Ecology of African dung beetles
• Effects of road infrastructure on wildlife in developing countries
• Analysis of the consequences of climate change related to pastoral livestock
• Strategies for management in the animal feed sector
• The feeding behavior of mosquitoes
• Bee learning and memory
• Immediate response to the animal cruelty
• Study of mass migration of land birds over the ocean
• A study of crocodile evolution
• The cockroach escape system
• The resistance of cockroaches against radiation: Myth or fact?
• Temperature regulation in the honey bee swarm
• Irresponsible dog breeding can often lead to an excess of stray dogs and animal cruelty
• Reliable communication signals in birds

Also see:  How to Write an 8 Page Research Paper ?

Animal Research Topics For University

• Color patterns of moths and moths
• Mimicry in the sexual signals of fireflies
• Ecophysiology of the garter snake
• Memory, dreams regarding cat neurology
• Spatiotemporal variation in the composition of animal communities
• Detection of prey in the sand scorpion
• Internal rhythms in bird migration
• Genealogy: Giant Panda
• Animal dissection: Severe type of animal cruelty and a huge blow to animal rights
• Cuckoo coevolution and patterns
• Use of plant extracts from Amazonian plants for the design of integrated pest management
• Research on flying field bug
• The usefulness of mosquitoes in biological control serves to isolate viruses
• Habitat use by the Mediterranean Ant
• Genetic structure of the  African golden wolf  based on its habitat
• Birds body odor on their interaction with mosquitoes and parasites
• The role of ecology in the evolution of coloration in owls
• The invasion of the red swamp crayfish
• Molecular taxonomy and biogeography of caprellids
• Bats of Mexico and the United States
• What can animal rights NGOs do in case of animal cruelty during animal testing initiatives?

Or you can try 297 High School Research Paper Topics to Top The Class

Controversial Animal Research Topics

• Is it okay to adopt an animal for experimentation?
• The authorization procedures on animals for scientific experiments
• The objective of total elimination of animal testing
• Are there concrete examples of successful scientific advances resulting from animal experimentation?
• Animal rights for exotic animals: Protection of forests and wildlife
• How can animal rights help endangered animals
• Animal experimentation are a type of animal cruelty: A detailed analysis
• Animal testing: encouraging the use of alternative methods
• Use of animals for the evaluation of chemical substances
• Holding seminars on the protection of animals
• Measures to take against animal cruelty
• Scientific research on marine life
• Scientific experiments on animals for medical research
• Experimentation on great apes
• Toxicological tests and other safety studies on chemical substances
• Why isn’t research done directly on humans rather than animals?
• Are animals necessary to approve new drugs and new medical technologies?
• Are the results of animal experiments transferable to humans?
• Humans are not animals, which is why animal research is not effective
• What medical advances have been made possible by animal testing?
• Animals never leave laboratories alive
• Scientific interest does not motivate the use of animal research
• Animal research is torture 
• How can a layperson work against animal testing?

Every crime is a controversy too, right? Here are some juicy  Criminal Justice Research Paper Topics  as well.

Animal Research Topics: Animal Rights

• Growing awareness of the animal suffering generated by these experiments
• What are the alternatives to animal testing?
• Who takes care of animal welfare?
• Major global organizations working for animal rights
• Animal rights in developing countries
• International animal rights standards to work against animal cruelty
• Animal cruelty in developing countries
• What can a layperson do when seeing animal cruelty
• Role of society in the prevention of animal cruelty
• Animal welfare and animal rights: measures taken against animal cruelty in developing countries
• Animal cruelty in the name of science
• How can we raise a better, empathetic and warm-hearted children to put a stop to animal cruelty
• Ethical animal testing methods with safety
• Are efforts being made to reduce the number of animals used?
• The welfare of donkeys and their socioeconomic roles in the subcontinent
• Animal cruelty and superstitious conceptions of dogs, cats, and donkeys in subcontinent
• Efforts made by international organizations against the tragedy of animal cruelty
• International organizations working for animal welfare
• Animal abuse: What are the immediate measures to take when we see animal cruelty
• Efforts to stop animal abuse in South Asian Countries
• Animal abuse in the name of biomedical research

Talking about social causes, let’s have a look at social work topics too: 206  Social Work Research Topics

Interesting Animal Research Topics

• The urbanization process and its effect on the dispersal of birds:
• Patterns of diversification in Neotropical amphibians
• Interactions between non-native parrot species
• Impact of landscape anthropization dynamics and wild birds’ health
• Habitat-driven diversification in small mammals
• Seasonal fluctuations and life cycles of amphipods
• Animal cruelty in African countries
• Evolution of the environmental niche of amphibians
• Biological studies on Louisiana crawfish
• Biological studies on Pink bollworm
• Biological studies on snails
• Biological Studies on Bush Crickets
• Biological Studies on Mountain Gorillas
• Biological studies on piranha
• Consequences of mosquito feeding
• Birds as bioindicators of environmental health
• Biological studies on victoria crowned pigeon
• Biological studies on black rhinoceros
• Biological studies on European spider
• Biological studies on dumbo octopus
• Biological studies on Markhor
• Study of genetic and demographic variation in amphibian populations
• Ecology and population dynamics of the blackberry turtle
• Small-scale population differentiation in ecological and evolutionary mechanisms
• Challenges in vulture conservation

Also interesting: 232  Chemistry Research Topics  To Make Your Neurochemicals Dance

Submarine Animals Research Topics

• The physiology behind the luminous fish
• A study of Fish population dynamics
• Study of insects on the surface of the water
• Structure and function of schools of fish
• Physiological ecology of whales and dolphins
• Form and function in fish locomotion
• Why do whales and dolphins jump?
• Impact of Noise on Early Development and Hearing in Zebrafish
• Animal cruelty against marine life on the hand of fishermen

Read More:  Accounting Research Topics

Animal Biology Research Topics

• Systematic and zoogeographical study of the ocellated lizards
• Morphological study of neurohistogenesis in the diencephalon of the chick embryo
• Anatomical study of three species of Nudibranch
• The adaptive strategy of two species of lagomorphs
• The Black vulture: population, general biology, and interactions with other birds
• Ocellated lizards: their phylogeny and taxonomy
• Studies on the behavior of ocellated lizards in captivity
• Comparative studies of the egg-laying and egg-hatching methods of ocellated lizards
• Studies on the ecology and behavior of ocellated lizards
• The taxonomic and phylogenetic implications of ocellated lizards
• Research on the egg-laying and egg-hatching methods of ocellated lizards
• Studies on the ecology and behavior of ocellated lizards in their natural environment
• Comparative studies of the egg-laying and egg-hatching methods of ocellated lizards in different countries
• Studies on the ecology and behavior of ocellated lizards in their natural environment in the light of evolutionary and ecological insights

Animal research topics are not hard to find for you anymore. As you have already read a load of them. You can use any of them and ace your research paper, and you don’t even need to ask permission. If you are looking for a  paper writing service , be it animal research, medical research, or any sort of research, you can contact us 24/7.

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Animal Research Topics Unleashed: Fauna Frontiers

Table of contents

• 1 How to Choose Animals Research Topics?
• 2.1 Animal Physiology Research Topics
• 2.2 Controversial Animal Topics
• 2.3 Animal Rights Topics For Research Paper
• 2.4 Interesting Animal Research Topics
• 2.5 Veterinary Topics For Research Paper
• 2.6 Animal Testing Research Topics
• 2.7 Animal Cruelty Topics
• 2.8 Research Questions about Animals
• 3 Get Professional Help for Your Animal Research Paper

Contrary to popular belief, animal research topics are not only used by veterinarians. They are also pursued by students majoring in Healthcare, Sound Engineering, and even subjects like Fashion Studies and Chemistry. Of course, it may require writing an excellent custom research paper because the trick here is to tailor things to what you need. The most challenging, however, is to choose your topic correctly and avoid being vague about what you must explore. Even if you would like to explore environmental issues, using animal research topics will be essential. You need to provide an explanation of your reasoning and the negative effects of human interaction with flora and fauna.

How to Choose Animals Research Topics?

While there may be no universal topic that will reflect all sides of animal-related research, consider those subjects that you know well. It must inspire you and be an area where you feel comfortable. If you love marine life and can provide personal research examples, it would be good to choose something that will suit a reflection journal. Alternatively, consider animal topics for research papers that can be supported by reliable sources and statistical information.

Start with an outline or a list of arguments that you would like to explore. Once done, continue with the wording for your topic that introduces the problem and offers a solution. You may also pose a research question about a problem or make a claim that will be supported by what you include in your paper. Always refer to your grading rubric and choose your research paper type accordingly. For example, your nursing research paper may talk about the use of animals for rehabilitation purposes, while a legal student may talk about animal rights in various countries. It all should be approached through the lens of what you learn as a primary subject!

50+ Most Interesting & Easy Animal Research Topics

Animal physiology research topics.

As you might already know, animal physiology studies anything related to the physical processes, changes in behaviors, breeding patterns, and more. As you think about choosing the animal physiology branch, always narrow things down if possible.

• Life-supporting properties of trained dogs in the wilderness.
• Homeostatic processes in migrating birds and the global warming challenges.
• The changes in circadian pacemakers and the processes of aging.
• The changes in flora and related metabolomic-based processes.
• Self-healing practices and digestive enzyme aspects.
• Food intake and glucose stimulation methods.
• Insensitivity to insulin: causes and consequences among domestic animals.
• Muscle cells development and fat management.
• Fish and Shellfish immunology processes in relation to Covid-19 studies.
• The role of mammals in the prevention of aquatic toxicology.

Controversial Animal Topics

This aspect of animal research essay writing may not be everyone’s cup of tea, which is why it is necessary to explore the facts and provide information that represents both sides of the debate. Stay sensitive and avoid being too graphic unless it is necessary. Below are some ideas to consider:

• The cultural practices of whaling in the Faroe Islands and Iceland.
• Animal testing and vaccination practices in Asian countries.
• The use of horses, camels, and donkeys to entertain tourists in the Middle East.
• The consequences of irresponsible dog breeding practices.
• Climate change and the subsequent loss of the natural habitat.
• The dark truth about the ivory trade.
• The use of pets for advertisement and promotional purposes.
• Animal rights protection and restrictions of breeding.
• SPA for the pets: a natural development or immoral practice?
• Animal trading and certification issues.

Animal Rights Topics For Research Paper

The subject of animal rights is popular among students coming from all academic disciplines. Since you can approach it via the philosophical, legal, or medical lens, think about how to reflect your primary skills. It will make your research of animal right topics sound more confident.

• The regulation of puppy mills and breeding in the United States.
• The legal aspect of animal sports and related regulation.
• How should one treat pets that have been abandoned by the owners?
• Clothing industry and legal regulations: from trading to advertisement.
• The use of innovative methods in medical research and experimentation.
• Animal ethics and the theological aspect of animal rights.
• Training your dog well: what are the basic behavior rules to consider?
• The breeding limitations and the farming practices in the United Kingdom.
• Animal rights in the United States vs regulations in Canada.
• Animal trading: what country should be held responsible for animal mistreatment?

Interesting Animal Research Topics

• Why do elephants remember everything and how does their brain work?
• Perception of love and affection among dogs vs cats.
• The communication methods used by the dolphins.
• Do horses feel the spirit of the competition during the ride?
• Perception of children and the elderly by mammals.
• Survival in the wilderness and the hunt for water.
• The navigation system of the working bee.
• How has technology changed domestic animals and their habits?
• The use of dogs in the world’s rescue operations: unusual case studies.
• Establishment of emotional bonds with dogs vs cats.

Veterinary Topics For Research Paper

In the majority of cases, you may refer to your veterinary branch first and proceed from there or take a look at the variety of veterinary research topics that we have presented below. Remember to quote every citation and idea that has been taken from other sources to avoid plagiarism.

• How to establish immune responses in chickens by using disease vaccine prevention methods?
• How do low doses of ketamine affect healthy dogs during epidural anesthesia?
• The use of biomarkers for therapeutic purposes and the role of pet owners.
• RNA genetic analysis and the use of AI-based endometria research to establish common sequences.
• What do we know about canine coronavirus research: pros and cons of artificial modeling.
• Egg production changes related to air pollution and chemical vapors.
• Wildlife surveillance ethics in the United States: pros and cons of modern remote monitoring.
• What are the causes and consequences of selenium deficiency and how can this aspect be addressed by the tissue analysis.
• Veterinary cardiology principles and the use of knowledge sourced from human cardio-vascular research.
• Canine immunopathologies and the high levels of stress caused by Covid-19 restrictions and social distancing.

Animal Testing Research Topics

Even though this subject seems to be discussed everywhere these days, finding good animals topics to write about that deal with animal testing is not easy. Think about what are the underlying reasons for testing and what forces scientists to use it as a method. It will help you come up with ideas and better exploration strategies.

• Does finding a cure without the use of animals represent only an economical challenge?
• Genetic research in the United States and the use of animals for research purposes.
• Should animal cloning and illegal breeding practices be banned?
• Beauty products industry and animal testing controversies.
• Stell Cell Research: the role of animals in the current advancement.
• Cell modulation and modeling as the replacement of animal testing.
• Animal experimentation and the history of the world’s vaccination methods.
• Does animal testing lead to safety in relation to emerging diseases?
• Animal lifespan and the research objectives for medical testing.
• Current human testing practices: do they represent an alternative to animal testing?

Animal Cruelty Topics

Warning: writing about animal cruelty subject is not for everyone, which is why you must be aware that the facts and statistics you may find will be shocking. It should be explored only if you are ready to embrace this disturbing subject. At the same time, you can explore milder animal cruelty cases like using pets as influencers on social media or the use of donkeys at the beaches to entertain tourists. There is always something to think about!

• The practice of cockfighting.
• The cultural heritage of bull-fighting in Spain.
• The use of monkeys for entertaining purposes.
• How are animal rights obeyed during filming practices?
• The use of pets as animal beauty promoters and social media influencers.
• Illegal farming practices in Asian countries and the Middle East.
• How can dog hunters be identified and punished?
• Why does whaling still continue in the Faroe Islands?
• The use of natural fur during beauty commercials.
• Vegetarian foods production: how justified it is for natural animal habitat?

Research Questions about Animals

When you would like to take a general approach to animals research, it is good to come up with a research question as a part of your thesis statement or main argumentation. See these animals research paper examples:

• The use of canines in cancer research methods: what breeds fit the most?.
• Pig kidney transplantation methods: what are the core genetic aspects.
• The use of rats in the decrease of immune diseases: why do they represent the most fitting species?
• Blood transfusions and the use of animal cardio-vascular system principles: what are the points to consider?
• Can animal behavior patterns be helpful for use in human mental diseases?
• Animal Welfare Regulations: are there mechanisms to have an impact on animal care?
• The use of dangerous dog breeds in the world: should such breeding be regulated like gun control?
• Improvement of cognitive functions among children who are dog owners: what is the role of the animals in question?.
• PTSD among military veterans: how can we use the animals to help the healing processes?
• The study of myocardial infarction in primates vs canine studies: why dogs represent better research models?

Get Professional Help for Your Animal Research Paper

Without a doubt, it is easy to get stuck with a multitude of topics and ideas. If you are planning to write about animal rights but do not know how to include certain animal physiology principles, it is safer to consider timely help with research paper. Our skilled team of specialists in this field will provide you with relevant sources and will help you polish things to perfection when you need assistance or do not know how to continue.

The same relates to checking your existing draft and citations in terms of plagiarism and originality. Writing about animals is never easy, which is why we know how you feel and also realize what your college professors expect to see. Take a look at our research topics about animals, trust us with your concerns and we shall help you achieve success!

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Articles making an impact in Animal Science and Zoology

Discover impactful articles published in our animal science and zoology journal portfolio with our High-Impact Research collections, featuring the most read, most cited, and most discussed articles published in recent years, which have caught the interest of your peers.

Animal Science

Ornithology.

Behavioral Ecology  is broad-based and covers both empirical and theoretical approaches and published studies on the whole range of behaving organisms, including plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, and humans.

BioScience presents timely and authoritative overviews of current research in biology, accompanied by essays and discussion sections on education, public policy, history, and the conceptual underpinnings of the biological sciences.

Open access, Current Zoology  publishes review articles and research papers in the fields of ecology, evolution and behaviour.

Integrative and Comparative Biology  publishes forward-looking reviews, synthesis, perspectives and empirical articles in integrative, comparative and organismal biology.

Animal Frontiers publishes discussion and position papers that present international perspectives on high-impact, global issues in animal agriculture. 

Journal of Animal Science provides new knowledge and perspectives across a range of topics in both animal production and fundamental aspects of genetics, nutrition, physiology, and the preparation and utilization of animal products.

Translational Animal Science encompasses a broad scope of research topics in animal science, focusing on translating basic science to innovation.

Aquatic Science

The  Journal of Crustacean Biology  publishes articles of broad interest on the biology of crustaceans and other marine arthropods.

Journal of Molluscan Studies  publishes research on the biology of molluscs, including the developing subjects of molecular genetics, cladistic phylogenetics and ecophysiology, as well as ecological, behavioural and systematic malacology.

Annals of the Entomological Society of America publishes cutting-edge research, reviews, and collections on a common topic of broad interest, across the entomological disciplines.

Arthropod Management Tests publishes short reports from a single year on a routine screening test for management of arthropods that may be harmful or beneficial.

Environmental Entomology  reports on the interaction of insects with the biological, chemical, and physical aspects of their environment.

Insect Systematics and Diversity publishes original research on systematics, evolution, and biodiversity of insects and related arthropods. 

The Journal of Economic Entomology is the most-cited entomological journal and publishes articles on the economic significance of insects and other arthropods.

The  Journal of Insect Science  publishes articles based on original research, as well as Reviews, interpretive articles in a Forum section, and Short Communications in all fields of entomology.

An extension-focused journal publishing original articles on any aspect of integrated pest management. The  Journal of Integrated Pest Management  is targeted at a non-technical audience of farmers, pest control operators, foresters, and others.

Journal of Medical Entomology publishes reports on all phases of medical entomology and acarology, including the systematics and biology of insects, acarines, and other arthropods of public health and veterinary significance.

Promoting interest in mammals throughout the world, the Journal of Mammalogy publishes research on all aspects of the biology of mammals, including behavior, conservation, ecology, genetics, morphology, physiology, and taxonomy. 

Mammalian Species  is published by the American Society of Mammalogists with 15-35 individual species accounts issued each year, summarizing the current understanding of the biology of an individual species including systematics, distribution, fossil history, genetics, anatomy, physiology, behavior, ecology, and conservation.

Ornithology  publishes original research from all parts of the globe that tests fundamental, scientific hypotheses through ornithological studies and advances our understanding of living or extinct bird species. 

Ornithological Applications  publishes original research, syntheses, and assessments on the application of scientific theory, ornithological knowledge, and methods to the conservation and management of birds and to policy.

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Animal physiology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Animal physiology is the scientific study of the life-supporting properties, functions and processes of animals or their parts. The discipline covers key homeostatic processes, such as the regulation of temperature, blood flow and hormones.

Latest Research and Reviews

Pregnancy-related changes in the canine serum N-glycosylation pattern studied by Rapifluor HILIC-UPLC-FLR-MS

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The stony coral Fimbriaphyllia ( Euphyllia ) ancora ’s reproductive strategy involves a sex change every year

A long-term survey on the reproductive strategy of the stony coral, Fimbriaphyllia ( Euphyllia ) ancora , found that the majority of the colonies change their sex every year.

• Shinya Shikina
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Clinical and hematological findings in alpacas ( Vicugna pacos ) with and without Candidatus Mycoplasma haemolamae infection

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Identification of factors affecting fattening efficiency of commercial pig herds and analysis of their impact at different performance levels

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• Jessica Maccaro
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Granulosa cells provide transcriptomic information on ovarian follicle dynamics in southern white rhinoceros

• Kristin Klohonatz
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News and Comment

Temperature-induced rna recoding in octopus.

• Chiara Anania

Warmth signals male growth

• Tegan Armarego-Marriott

Emerging infectious agents in game animal viromes

• Annisa Chand

The biology of beauty sleep

Age estimation based on DNA methylation levels suggests that hibernation arrests biological ageing in wild yellow-bellied marmots.

• Jordan A. Anderson

A question of the sexes

COVID-19 lockdown allows researchers to quantify the effects of human activity on wildlife

Reduced human mobility during the pandemic will reveal critical aspects of our impact on animals, providing important guidance on how best to share space on this crowded planet.

• Christian Rutz
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Research Areas

Research Areas in the Penn State Department of Animal Science.

Research centered on meat, eggs, and milk with the overarching goal of better health outcomes for people.

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Research areas include reproduction, nutrition, disease, and management.

Research to advance our understanding of factors that link horse health, nutrition, and management with athletic and reproductive performance.

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Research addressing the changing needs of the meat industry with initiatives ranging from breeding decisions to end-user consumption.

Research efforts focused on discovering and promoting efficient animal production systems that place a minimum burden on the environment.

Research topics include avian management, nutrition and physiology, environmental management, and modification of egg composition.

Teaching, research, and extension activities at the Penn State Meat Laboratory and Poultry Processing facility focusing on the quality and safety of meat and poultry products.

Research topics include regulation of biological clocks, ovarian biology, avian reproduction, ovarian function and follicle development, and molecular endocrinology.

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Animal Science Subject Guide — Research Topics

• Starting Your Research Project
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Narrowing a topic

Sometimes narrowing to a specific topic does not come naturally and can be a difficult task. Here are some techniques available to make this process simpler.

• First, pick a topic in which you are interested. You will spend a lot of time with your topic and you will do a better job with it if you find the topic enjoyable. As you search through potential topics, note which pique your interest and follow them further.
• Look for a topic with some recent controversy or a set of related topics which can be compared and contrasted.
• Pick a topic which you have some hope of understanding. If you cannot understand the basics you will not be able to write about it. Not all topics are appropriate for undergraduate paper writing.

Some additional sites with help on choosing and narrowing topics are listed below.

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Where to find possible topics for science papers

If you don't know on what topic you want to write a paper, start by looking in sources with broad spreads of relevant information. 

• Search any database by a particular journal or review journal (Science, Nature, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, etc.)
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• Scan popular science sciences magazines such as Bioscience, Scientific American, Discover, etc.
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• Search for ideas in the encyclopedias, handbooks or other books listed in this guide on a separate page
• If you have some idea of a topic, search for review articles on that topic in one of the science databases listed in this guide
• Search the table of contents of a journal which specializes in review articles, such as Trends in Ecology and Evolution

Search Strategies for Topics

Part of picking a topic will involve conducting literature searches. As you search for your topic(s) start with searches as BROAD as possible, while remaining relevant to your topic. Starting broad will give a breadth of coverage that allows you easy options for narrowing your topic. If you start with a narrow topic it is much harder to broaden your topic later to explore more options.

Describe your topic in a sentence.

How did carnivorous plants evolve digestive enzymes?

What are your major concepts? Identify the main elements of your topic.

Think of related terms for your concepts. Use both common words and scientific terms.

Add Boolean Operators (AND & OR) to structure the search in a database search interface.

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Science News

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What is Animal Science: Exploring the Field of Animal Studies

Exploring the field of animal science.

Animal science is a multifaceted field that encompasses the study of animal biology and management, aiming to improve the lives of both animals and humans. Pursuing an animal science degree provides a robust foundation in crucial areas such as animal nutrition, reproduction, genetics, and physiology. It equips students with the knowledge necessary to embark on a diverse range of animal-centered professions or to continue their education in veterinary medicine or graduate studies.

Choosing animal science as an undergraduate major at UNH COLSA involves immersive, hands-on learning experiences beyond the traditional classroom setting. You will have the opportunity to engage directly with animals, understand their behavior and care, and apply theoretical knowledge in practical settings. This dynamic approach to learning emphasizes the significance of field experience in preparing for future careers in the industry.

By obtaining a degree in animal science, you open doors to a variety of career paths. Opportunities range from animal care and production, business management within the animal sector, to roles in the pharmaceutical and animal feed industries. Additionally, graduates can contribute to advocacy, policy consulting, government agencies such as the USDA, cooperative extension services, food inspection and safety, and veterinary medicine, ensuring that you are equipped to make significant contributions to the animal science field and society's relationship with animals.

Foundations of Animal Science

In the field of animal science, understanding the biological and management aspects of animals is crucial. This knowledge spans genetics, nutrition, and the overall well-being of domestic and agricultural animals.

Biology and Genetics

Biology underpins the study of animal science, providing critical insights into the functioning and development of animals. Through courses like Introduction to Animal Science and Genetics of Animals , students acquire an in-depth understanding of molecular biology, cell biology, and genetics, which are vital in improving breeding programs and preserving genetic diversity in animal populations. Knowledge in growth biology and microbiology also allow for advancements in animal health and disease management.

Nutrition and Food Sciences

Nutrition plays a pivotal role in the science of animals, focusing on the dietary needs and the impact of various nutrients on animal health and productivity. Courses such as  Principles of Animal Nutrition explore topics like the digestion, absorption, and metabolism of nutrients. Understanding the chemistry behind animal feed helps develop food products that enhance the growth and productive capacity of livestock, which in turn supports the sustainability of food systems.

Incorporating knowledge from these vital areas equips you for diverse fields such as animal health , production , and policy consulting . The comprehensive curriculum at educational institutions such as UNH prepares you to tackle real-world challenges in animal science.

Animal Health and Welfare

In the realm of animal science, maintaining the health and welfare of animals is a multifaceted goal that involves careful management of disease, understanding animal behavior, and ensuring their well-being through various measures.

Disease Control and Prevention

Disease control is essential in safeguarding animal health. To minimize the spread of illness, health maintenance protocols and environmental regulation play critical roles. Your proactive steps in disease control might include vaccination programs, quarantine procedures for new or sick animals, and regular health screenings. It's important to establish a clean and safe environment with appropriate shelter, nutrition, and water sources, as these factors significantly impact disease prevention.

Behavior and Welfare

The welfare of animals is intricately linked to their behavior, which signals their overall health and well-being. By observing and understanding behavioral cues, you can ensure that animals are not in distress. Providing social interaction, enrichment activities, and adequate space allows animals to exhibit natural behaviors, thereby promoting better welfare. Be aware of the complexity of animals' emotional and physical needs, as animal care and welfare are critical components of ethical and scientifically sound animal science practices.

By integrating these practices, you contribute to a higher standard of animal welfare and health, reflecting a deep understanding of the critical balance between natural behaviors and managed care.

Animal Husbandry and Management

Animal Husbandry and Management are critical for optimizing the health and productivity of farm animals. This involves strategies and methods that enhance breeding and effective farm operations.

Breeding and Reproduction

In animal breeding, genetic principles are applied to select animals that will parent the next generation. Your goal for effective breeding is to improve traits in livestock such as milk production; this can be accomplished through techniques like artificial insemination and embryo transfer. Reproduction strategies must consider an animal's genetics, health, and environment to successfully increase herd or flock numbers. Understanding diseases that affect domestic animals, including modes of transmission and protection offered by vaccines, is fundamental.

Livestock and Farm Management

Livestock management requires comprehensively addressing the care of farm animals. You are responsible for the nutrition, shelter, health, and overall wellbeing of the animals on your farm. Farm management involves creating a balance between the business aspects and the biological processes of animal agriculture. Implement record-keeping practices, such as tracking animal health and imports per regulations , to ensure effective oversight. Moreover, adhering to relevant agricultural policies helps maintain standards and protect animal welfare.

Industry Applications and Research

In the diverse field of animal science, industry applications and research play a crucial role. Your understanding of these areas ensures that animal products are processed safely and effectively, and that advancements in biotechnology and animal health continue to evolve.

Animal Products Processing

In the Department of Animal Science, you'll find that processing animal products not only involves transforming raw materials into food but also encompasses stringent quality control measures. For example, meat science experts focus on issues such as shelf-life extension, taste enhancement, and nutritional value improvement. Here's a brief outline:

• Safety Testing : Protocols to ensure products are free of contaminants.
• Packaging Innovations : Techniques to preserve freshness and extend shelf life.
• Efficiency Improvements : Streamlining processing methods to boost production.

Research and Development

Research and development within the field of animal science are multifaceted. Research programs at universities often collaborate with pharmaceutical companies to pioneer new drugs and vaccines.

• Biotechnology : Utilization of genetic engineering to advance animal health and productivity.
• Diagnostics : Development of new testing methods for early disease detection.

By engaging with these sectors, you interact with the cutting-edge of animal science, contributing to the field's growth and ensuring the wellbeing of animals and humans alike.

Animal Science in Society

Animal science plays a crucial role in modern society by advancing our understanding of animal biology and the management of livestock and pets. This knowledge supports various industries and contributes to advancements in fields like veterinary medicine and biotechnology.

Education and Careers

Pursuing a degree in animal science from UNH COLSA equips you with an extensive understanding of animal health, nutrition, genetics, and management. Programs like the Bachelor of Science in Animal Science teach you about domestic and wild animal management, preparing you for a diverse range of careers in the sector. As an animal scientist, you could find employment in numerous settings such as zoos, research facilities, agricultural companies, or in roles involving animal behavior studies. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides details on employment and wage estimates for animal scientists.

• Zoo and Aquarium Management : You could be involved in the care and conservation of wildlife species.
• Biotechnology Firms : Engage in research and development related to animal health products.
• Animal Nutrition Companies : Focus on formulating diets for various animal species.

Regulation and Ethics

Regulatory Bodies : In the realm of animal science, it’s essential to comply with guidelines and policies set by authorities such as the CDC or the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). They ensure that activities involving animals meet the required ethical and safety standards.

• Certifications : Bodies like the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists (ARPAS) provide certifications that affirm your expertise and adherence to ethical practices.
• Ethical Considerations : As an animal scientist, you're expected to prioritize animal welfare, often informed by the latest research in animal behavior and welfare science.

Legislation and Welfare : Your work must align with animal welfare legislation, which is pivotal to ensuring that animals are treated humanely, whether it’s in a laboratory setting or on a farm. Veterinary medicine professionals play a crucial role in advocating for and upholding these welfare standards.

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What is animal studies?

A growing body of scholarship that centers nonhuman animals in a range of contexts: historical, ethical, sociological, literary. Animal studies borrows methods and theories from disciplines in both the sciences and humanities, and is rapidly developing its own unique approach to questions of animal liberation, animality, and interspecies relationships. Because animal studies is still taking shape, scholars have different visions of how to define the field.

Get acquainted with the three main approaches to the field

Posthumanism, posthumanism emphasizes theoretical undermining of humanist understandings of species difference and subjectivity..

• Human, All Too Human: "Animal Studies" and the Humanities (PMLA) [pdf download] by Cary Wolfe Publication Date: 2009

Critical Animal Studies

"critical animal studies is a critical approach to human-animal relationships and explicitly committed to a global justice for animals, humans, and the earth." ( carol gigliotti, 2017 ).

• The Rise of Critical Animal Studies (Originally published in State of Nature) by Steve Best Publication Date: Summer 2009

Animal Studies

Much animal scholarship reflects a blend of posthumanism and critical animal studies, making animal studies the most fitting umbrella term for the field..

• Animal Studies Cross Campus to Lecture Hall (New York Times) by James Gorman Publication Date: Jan. 2, 2012

Search terms for animals studies research topics

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• Last Updated: May 17, 2024 7:12 PM
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Leading innovation for real-world problems

Cutting-Edge Research

There’s a reason top agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation pour millions of research dollars into our department each year: Our faculty and students pioneer solutions to the problems facing the animal science industry.

From genetics and genomics to reproductive physiology, our students have opportunities to work with seasoned faculty and apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world issues.

research areas

Animal Well-Being

Research in animal well-being is typically incorporated within other focus areas such as genetics or physiology. Students pursuing this emphasis have investigated everything from the effect of breeding behavior on the reproductive efficiency of swine to the impact of housing conditions on stress-related hormones in captive primates.

Faculty in Animal Well-Being 

Biotechnology

Biotechnology is considered a support discipline and can be included in graduate programs in a variety of areas including physiology, nutrition, genetics/genomics and production management.

Faculty in Biotechnology 

Genetics and Genomics

Students can choose to major in Animal Science with a co-major in Genetics or Functional Genomics. Students pursuing research in genetics and genomics use a variety of animal models including beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine and mice in their thesis projects.

Faculty in Genetics and Genomics 

Our nutrition program focuses on a range of topics, from basic molecular nutrition approaches to studies with direct practical applications in the target species. Students can work with a variety of animal species, including cattle, swine, horses, sheep, goats, mice, companion animals and exotic animals.

Nutrition Research Faculty 

The physiology group conducts activities in two major areas: reproductive physiology and lactational physiology. Student research projects range from basic molecular studies to applied research projects in a variety of animal systems. Students use a variety of animal models including cattle, swine, mice, goats, horses, domestic cats and exotic cats in their research.

Physiology Research Faculty 

Production Agriculture

Students in production management investigate problems that involve applied research within their particular discipline (genetics, nutrition, physiology). Research can include assessment of the usefulness of early pregnancy detection by real-time ultrasonography in swine, the effectiveness of specific feed additives on growth and nutrient utilization of beef steers, or the effect of grazing-based dairy cattle management on the onset of puberty in heifers.

Production Agriculture Research Faculty 

FIELD GRAND CHALLENGE article

A grand challenge for animal science: multiple goals – convergent and divergent.

• Royal Veterinary College (RVC), London, United Kingdom

Introduction

People want safe, affordable, high quality animal-derived foods, produced in ways that protect rural livelihoods and cultures and which are derived from animals that lived healthy and happy lives. These aspirations must be set alongside the overarching need to seek advances that reduce or eliminate the most negative environmental aspects of livestock production. It will be a truly Grand Challenge for animal scientists to meet these intersecting desires whilst simultaneously working with others to meet climate change goals and to conserve and restore wild habitats and biodiversity. Set within this context three broad challenges for animal scientists are outlined. The first will be to identify areas of work that have simultaneous and beneficial effects on the diverse issues that concern people. It will not be easy to find research areas that contribute holistically, but some positive examples are set out below ( Challenge 1 ). Inevitably, however, there will be many situations where the pursuit of one objective threatens progress in another. An obvious example is how the on-farm benefits of using antimicrobials in terms of resource efficiency and farm income are outweighed by the concomitant increased risk of antimicrobial resistance for human health. The identification of this critical trade-off led the World Health Organization (2017) to call for a substantial and urgent reduction in the routine use of antimicrobials in animal production systems. In turn, this has stimulated a wealth of research into alternative methods of maintaining animal health and production (though there remains much to do; Redweik et al., 2020 ). Within the field of animal science, it is likely that many other unacknowledged more subtle trade-offs exist. A second challenge for researchers is therefore to identify, analyse and quantify these points of opposition and goal divergence ( Challenge 2 ). A third challenge will be to understand better consumers' desires, knowledge and motivations. Sometimes citizens hold contradictory views about animal farming based on incomplete or inaccurate information, whilst scientists also lack insight into the attitudinal basis for consumer concerns. Dialogue and education that builds trust between different sectors of society, communities and stakeholders is needed to align goals for the future of animal science ( Challenge 3 ).

Setting the Scene—the Environmental Impact of Livestock Production

The adverse environmental effects of animal production can no longer responsibly be ignored, dismissed or left to future generations. The FAO's influential report, Livestock's Long Shadow ( FAO, 2006 ), highlighted the effect of animal production on biodiversity loss and land use. Raising livestock also contributes to environmental pollution and generates a significant proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions. It is also inherently inefficient to transfer plant nutrients to humans via animals. Globally, 36% of the calories produced by crops are used for animal feed ( Cassidy et al., 2013 ). In the face of a growing world population, many bodies now advocate that people in higher-income countries should reduce or replace their use of animal products to protect the environment. The International Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC, 2019 ), for example, advocates a shift toward plant-based diets to reduce global warming. Scientific modeling reveals that if people in Europe replaced just half of their animal-based foods with plant-based foods (on a dietary energy basis) this would reduce nitrogen emissions by 40% and greenhouse gas emissions by 25–40% ( Westhoek et al., 2014 ). Evidence of this kind has led some scientists to suggest that red meat should contribute no more than 5% to a normal diet ( Machovina and Feeley, 2014 ). Even large meat-processing companies, fully aware of these trends, are investing heavily in plant-based alternatives ( New York Times, 2019 ). Human diets may increasingly include protein from other resource-efficient sources, such as insects ( Bessa et al., 2020 ) or, with further technological advances, from cultured animal cells.

However, farmed animals will not disappear from the planet anytime soon. Some groups of people in low and middle-income countries could benefit from consuming more animal-based protein and animals play an important practical or cultural role for many societies. There is much for the animal scientist to do, whether to ease a transition to an Eat Less, Eat Better future ( RSPCA, 2018 ), or to improve access to high quality food for those in food poverty.

One important principle that underpins the involvement of animal science in debates about food policy and the environment, is that approaches that consider entire supply chains and all relevant environmental impacts must be employed. Debates can become skewed when single aspects (e.g., resource efficiency) are considered in isolation from others (e.g., land use), or when the efficiency of a farm is considered without measuring the origin and journey taken by the animal foodstuffs that may be imported. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one such approach that allows scientists to consider animal management systems in the round. Using this methodology, Weeks et al. (2016) found that the main environmental burden associated with increased levels of laying hen mortality was the need to rear more replacement birds. Pelletier et al. (2010) used LCA to compare the resource efficiency, ecological footprint and emissions arising from different US beef production strategies. Environmental impacts were highest for pasture-finished beef and lowest in a system where calves were weaned to wheat pastures and then finished in feedlots. These results are not immediately intuitive and show the value of using an LCA approach to characterize relative environmental impacts.

Challenge 1—Multiple, Convergent, and Beneficial Goals

A positive example of the way that multiple goals are now being considered within animal science comes from the increasing use of breeding goals that encompass diverse and multi-faceted traits alongside the more traditional trait selection. A few selected examples will suffice to illustrate this point. By selecting animals for improved disease resistance (e.g., bovine TB, Tsairidou et al., 2018 ) productivity, environmental, and welfare goals are all simultaneously addressed. The realistic potential that Merino sheep could be selected for reduced susceptibility to flystrike ( Brien et al., 2020 ) raises the possibility of ending the painful practice of “mulesing” (skin removal and scar formation around the breech area) and the widespread use of insecticides. Another promising, and less immediately obvious, trait for selection may be rumen microbial gene abundance, which could result in cattle that emit fewer greenhouse gases ( Roehe et al., 2016 ). Genetic selection is also being used to increase animal lifespan, with the productive cycle of laying hens set to increase from 70 to 100 weeks ( Fernyhough et al., 2019 ). Conjoint benefits of this strategy include the reduced environmental burden of raising replacement animals and avoidance of poor welfare associated with practices such as forced molting.

Animal geneticists are also developing increasingly imaginative approaches to address management problems such as injurious pecking in poultry. For example, quantifying natural variation in the beak shape of turkeys ( Dalton et al., 2017 ) is the first step toward perhaps selecting birds with naturally blunter beaks that could be kept without the need for invasive beak-trimming procedures. The development of selection methodologies that include the social effects of one individual animal on the phenotypes of its companions will also become increasingly important as many countries move toward cage-free housing systems. An animal that is individually highly productive may nonetheless outcompete or show aggression to its companions reducing their welfare and overall group-level productivity ( Ellen et al., 2014 ). A key challenge will be to ensure that selection does not lead to unintended negative consequences in any domain that has not been identified as a selection target and that animals remain in robust health.

Animal breeding is far from the only field where multiple, convergent goals can be identified. The use of ever more advanced technologies in disease surveillance and diagnosis can also produce holistic and synergistic benefits. Nano-, molecular and engineering technologies will increasingly be deployed in rapid and non-invasive farm-side detection and diagnosis of animal diseases (e.g., Bannerjee and Jaiswal, 2018 ; Gupta et al., 2019 ). The increasing application of advanced technology in automated monitoring platforms will also provide early warnings of health or welfare problems arising at a flock or herd level, for instance shifts in broiler flock movement patterns detected using optical flow patterns can signal early signs of flock infection with campylobacter ( Colles et al., 2016 ). Alongside enhanced surveillance comes the opportunity to prevent or even eradicate disease threats from whole populations through the development and use of effective vaccinations. An ultimate challenge might be an accelerated programme of animal disease eradication. To date, the only animal disease that has been globally eradicated is rinderpest, but the International Task Force for Disease Eradication (ITFDE) has identified Cysticercosis as a potentially eradicable foodborne disease. The ITFDE postulated that vaccination could play a role, but profound challenges arise when designing vaccines that are effective for parasites with complex lifecycles ( Sander et al., 2020 ) and so surveillance and a better understanding of transmission pathways may turn out to be more effective strategies to counter this disease.

Challenge 2—Divergent Goals and Trade-Offs

A critical role for animal science will be to provide the evidence to quantify areas where trade-offs exist to enable policy makers to make decisions, sometimes drastic (phasing out antimicrobials) but sometimes nuanced. An area where further work is needed is in assessing real and perceived trade-offs between livestock productivity and animal welfare (see Figure 1 ).

Figure 1 . A curved function illustrates a proposed relationship between livestock productivity and animal welfare (from McInerney, 2004 ).

Point A is considered as an initial reference where no specific management effort is invested (e.g., backyard chicken keeping). As improved animal management and disease control measures are implemented, joint gains in productivity and welfare are usually observed, taking us toward point B. But beyond this point, efforts to increase productivity (for example by increasing stocking density or selecting for more rapid growth) occur at the expense of individual animal welfare (e.g., Ahmed et al., 2020 ). This model has been influential but intuitions about the effects of different management interventions are not always correct and animal science is needed to identify the real interactions between productivity, health and animal welfare. For example, improved animal health is not always associated with improved efficiency of production. In a study of dairy farm efficiency in Denmark, it was found that the most efficient dairy farms had higher levels of lameness, ketosis and digestive disorders ( Lawson et al., 2004 ). These farms tended to resort to early culling, high replacement rates, and enrolling heifers in production at an earlier age with shorter calving intervals, placing high demands on young cows, who experience high disease levels and a short life expectancy. In this case, more efficient production was associated with reduced animal health (and welfare), visualized in Figure 1 as a move from point B to C. Another counter-intuitive example is that adherence to strict welfare guidelines does not always lead to a reduction in productivity. Danish pig producers that met all animal regulations (assessed during unannounced visits) also achieved a (slightly) higher overall farm efficiency than farms where regulations were sometimes breached ( Henningsen et al., 2018 ). Scientific analysis may also show that assumptions about apparently inevitable trade-offs may be misplaced. For example, the high prevalence of leg disorders in broiler chickens ( Knowles et al., 2008 ) has led to calls for the use of slower-growing breeds to improve animal welfare, but such a move would (perhaps greatly) lower the efficiency of chicken production. This appears at first sight to be an irrefutable conflict but Dawkins and Layton (2012) argue that although there are correlations between rapid growth and lameness in current commercial strains of chicken, this is not an inevitable correlation. They point out that many wild birds have very high juvenile growth rates without negative health effects and suggest that selection that targets improved skeletal health could allow the development of fast-growing birds with good welfare.

Another area where potential trade-offs abound relates to the impact of animals on land use and biodiversity. Balmford et al. (2012) have argued that farming, and particularly livestock production, is more damaging to wild nature than any other human activity and they have set out a clear policy direction to address this, strongly advocating a Land Sparing approach. This would encourage the intensification of food production per unit area to ensure that pristine areas are protected and designated for habitat conservation or restoration, predicated on the idea that many wild species simply cannot exist within human-managed agricultural systems ( Phalan et al., 2016 ). However, a fundamentally opposing Land Sharing model proposes that biodiversity should be encouraged within less-intensive eco-agricultural systems that better protect animal welfare and rural communities. There are multiple trade-offs that require further study to solve this conundrum. Even the apparently sensible suggestion that ruminants should be produced primarily in areas where they can make use of grass, hay or forage of little direct use to humans to improve livestock sustainability ( Eisler et al., 2014 ) has been challenged. The very inefficiency of forage-based systems means that, under this approach, a high proportion of land would be allocated to livestock, to the detriment of efforts to restore true biodiversity ( zu Ermgassen et al., 2014 ). Balmford et al. (2012) entitled their paper “What Conservationists need to know about farming” which prompts the suggestion that future animal scientists will need to know more about conservation. Together we need to establish which wild species can co-exist with livestock, and whether truly biodiverse managed environments can be created. Animal scientists have a role to play in facilitating a transition that lowers overall global consumption of animal products, enables sustainable land sharing and ensures more equitable distribution of animal-based foods. One solution will not fit all circumstances and in certain regions of the world, animal scientists may need to work out how to intensify production without detriment to animal welfare.

Challenge 3—Sharing Knowledge and Aligning Goals Between Sectors of Society

A third challenge is that animal scientists will need to research, understand, and address the knowledge gap that can exist between consumers, producers, and scientists. Citizens in high-income countries tend to have a negative view of industrial agriculture and an all-encompassing positive view of farming systems that are perceived as natural ( Bray and Ankeny, 2017 ; Ochs et al., 2019 ). For example, consumers have very positive views about free-range systems for laying hens, not just in relation to the behavioral freedom they incontrovertibly provide for birds, but also for attributes that they patently do not possess, such as a lower risk of disease. Some consumers view free-range systems as posing a lower risk of avian influenza, even though the science shows this disease is primarily transmitted via outdoor contact with wild birds ( van Asselt et al., 2018 ). Misunderstandings can produce paradoxical demands e.g., for high welfare food from systems that pose high health risks to animals. The need for further dialogue comes from studies showing that many consumers rate access to outdoor air as more important for laying hens than space allowance ( Pettersson et al., 2016 ) and that negative views about farming practices sometimes sit alongside a lack of awareness of animal welfare advances that have been achieved ( Sonntag et al., 2019 ). Healthy animals can be housed in large numbers in high welfare systems with low environmental impact (e.g., the Windstreek broiler farm; https://www.windstreek.eu/ ) but such developments must appeal to consumers. Automated production systems using novel technical monitoring and robotic handling procedures also have the potential to improve farming efficiency and animal welfare but may be negatively perceived by people who are already skeptical about industrialized agriculture. Greater understanding of how cultural background and media exposure influence the development of attitudes toward animals and food production will be needed to align scientific progress with consumer acceptance.

Author Contributions

The author confirms being the sole contributor of this work and has approved it for publication.

Conflict of Interest

The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Keywords: animal science, animal welfare, biodiversity, resource efficiency, conservation

Citation: Nicol CJ (2021) A Grand Challenge for Animal Science: Multiple Goals – Convergent and Divergent. Front. Anim. Sci. 2:640503. doi: 10.3389/fanim.2021.640503

Received: 11 December 2020; Accepted: 12 January 2021; Published: 23 February 2021.

Edited and reviewed by: Linda Jane Keeling , Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden

Copyright © 2021 Nicol. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Christine J. Nicol, cnicol@rvc.ac.uk

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Share and Cite

Słowiński, J.; Roszak, M.; Krawiec, K.; Henklewski, R.; Jamroziak, K. Numerical Analysis of Stabilization of a Horse’s Third Metacarpal Bone Fracture for Prediction of the Possibility of Bone Union. Appl. Sci. 2024 , 14 , 7976. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14177976

Słowiński J, Roszak M, Krawiec K, Henklewski R, Jamroziak K. Numerical Analysis of Stabilization of a Horse’s Third Metacarpal Bone Fracture for Prediction of the Possibility of Bone Union. Applied Sciences . 2024; 14(17):7976. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14177976

Słowiński, Jakub, Maciej Roszak, Karina Krawiec, Radomir Henklewski, and Krzysztof Jamroziak. 2024. "Numerical Analysis of Stabilization of a Horse’s Third Metacarpal Bone Fracture for Prediction of the Possibility of Bone Union" Applied Sciences 14, no. 17: 7976. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14177976

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Principal Data Scientist Imaging and Vision AI Researcher

About the role.

Key responsibilities

• Lead AI research projects independently, focusing on imaging and vision applications within pharmaceutical research and development using scientific, rigorous, and reproducible methodology
• Develop and implement state-of-the-art AI algorithms for image processing, analysis, segmentation, and interpretation, focusing on data modalities such as MRI, histopathology, echocardiograms, lab animal video data or other image modalities used in biological research.
• Collaborate with other AI specialists, data architects, software engineers, business analysts, user interface designers within RX on products in the Image/Vision domain
• Act as an Imaging and data science subject matter expert, to help commodify AI and data analytics expertise and assets into impactful analysis workflows and software products, and to help make our research data FAIR
• Engage with diverse stakeholders in clinical as well as non-clinical settings
• Serve as an ambassador for AI/Data Science by presenting and publishing articles.
• Build a bridge between academia, technology, and industry partners.
• Keep ahead of latest developments in the field and mentor associates .
• Be a part of a truly unique organization, work with an inter-disciplinary team of highly accomplished scientists and push the AI frontiers for disease understanding and drug discovery.

This opportunity is located at the Novartis Cambridge (MA) site and will not have the ability to be located remotely. Relocation assistance may be available.

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $144,000 and $216,000 per year; however, while salary ranges are effective from 1/1/24 through 12/31/24, fluctuations in the job market may necessitate adjustments to pay ranges during this period. Further, final pay determinations will depend on various factors, including, but not limited to geographical location, experience level, knowledge, skills and abilities. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a sign-on bonus, restricted stock units, and discretionary awards in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave), dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment. If hired, employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

The Novartis Group of Companies are Equal Opportunity Employers and take pride in maintaining a diverse environment. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. We are committed to building diverse teams, representative of the patients and communities we serve, and we strive to create an inclusive workplace that cultivates bold innovation through collaboration and empowers our people to unleash their full potential.

Role Requirements

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, AI, Machine Learning, or a related field with a focus on imaging and vision applications.
• Minimum of 5 y ears of experience in AI research, specifically in imaging and vision applications.
• Applied knowledge of image/vision data modalities used in biological research or clinical settings
• Minimum of 4 y ears of relevant publication track record in machine learning applications and AI/ML methods
• Proven experience in leading AI research projects independently.
• Strong understanding of advanced machine learning algorithms and AI systems.
• Extensive experience in using AI for image analysis, particularly in a pharmaceutical setting.
• Proficient in programming in AI platforms such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Keras.
• Strong ability to communicate technical concepts to a variety of audiences, including scientists, engineers, and non-technical stakeholders.
• Familiarity with pharmaceutical research processes and requirements.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to think creatively and innovatively.

Why Novartis? 766 million lives were touched by Novartis medicines in 2021, and while we’re proud of this, we know there is so much more we could do to help improve and extend people’s lives. We believe new insights, perspectives and ground-breaking solutions can be found at the intersection of medical science and digital innovation. That a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment inspires new ways of working. We believe our potential can thrive and grow in an unbossed culture underpinned by integrity, curiosity and flexibility. And we can reinvent what's possible, when we collaborate with courage to aggressively and ambitiously tackle the world’s toughest medical challenges. Because the greatest risk in life, is the risk of never trying! Imagine what you could do here at Novartis! Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities we serve. Accessibility and Reasonable Accommodations: Individuals in need of a reasonable accommodation due to a medical condition or disability for any part of the application process, or to perform the essential functions of a position, please send an e-mail to tas.nacomms@novartis.com or call +1 (877)395-2339 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message. Join our Novartis Network : If this role is not suitable to your experience or career goals but you wish to stay connected to hear more about Novartis and our career opportunities, join the Novartis Network here: https://talentnetwork.novartis.com/network

Why Novartis: Helping people with disease and their families takes more than innovative science. It takes a community of smart, passionate people like you. Collaborating, supporting and inspiring each other. Combining to achieve breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Ready to create a brighter future together? https://www.novartis.com/about/strategy/people-and-culture

Join our Novartis Network: Not the right Novartis role for you? Sign up to our talent community to stay connected and learn about suitable career opportunities as soon as they come up: https://talentnetwork.novartis.com/network

Benefits and Rewards: Read our handbook to learn about all the ways we’ll help you thrive personally and professionally: https://www.novartis.com/careers/benefits-rewards

EEO Statement:

The Novartis Group of Companies are Equal Opportunity Employers who are focused on building and advancing a culture of inclusion that values and celebrates individual differences, uniqueness, backgrounds and perspectives. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the world around us and connects us to the patients, customers and communities we serve.

Accessibility & Reasonable Accommodations

The Novartis Group of Companies are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or to perform the essential functions of a position, please send an e-mail to [email protected] or call +1(877)395-2339 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message.