Mandai Nature is a successful Singapore-based non-profit conservation organisation jointly set up by Temasek and Mandai Wildlife Group (which manages zoological parks including Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Wonders, Rainforest Wild and Bird Paradise). Mandai Nature is the conservation arm of Mandai Wildlife Group and was established with the aim of advancing efforts on biodiversity protection in Singapore and Asia. Through impactful programmes and innovative partnerships Mandai Nature strives to protect nature and inspire action.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Scientific leadership and research strategy

• Lead and drive a wildlife health and disease research programme focused on Singapore’s urban wildlife, animals under human care, rescued and rehabilitated native wildlife, and priority Southeast Asian species.

• Develop a research roadmap that connects clinical cases, pathology, diagnostics, field sampling, environmental surveillance, biobanking, genomics, ecological data and decision-support tools.

• Identify priority wildlife health questions where Mandai can generate practical, scientifically credible and operationally useful outputs, including avian influenza preparedness, antimicrobial resistance, wildlife rehabilitation outcomes, vector-borne disease, endangered loca species e.g. Sunda pangolin health, environmental biosurveillance, pathogen genomics and wildlife-human interface risks.

• Build integrated wildlife health intelligence systems using clinical, pathology, diagnostic, genomic, microbiome, environmental, ecological, movement, release, rehabilitation and welfare data.

• Develop workflows that turn observations and datasets into actionable intelligence for decision-makers, including risk assessments, dashboards, briefs, protocols, reports and decision memos.

• Support the development of Singapore-ready tools for urban wildlife health risks and regionally scalable approaches for wildlife and ecosystem health intelligence

• Lead applied research using pathogen genomics, metagenomics, microbiome profiling, eDNA surveillance, antimicrobial resistance monitoring, serology, digital pathology, environmental sampling, vector surveillance and AI-enabled risk modelling.

• Develop and validate workflows for high-priority areas such as avian influenza preparedness, rehabilitation outcomes, pangolin health and diet, tick-borne disease, environmental microbiome shifts, pathogen discovery and wildlife-human interface risk.

• Work with veterinary, animal care, pathology, conservation, field and laboratory teams to ensure high-quality sample collection, metadata capture, testing, interpretation and reporting.
  

2. Grant development, funding stewardship and PI accountability

• Develop and lead competitive grant applications, donor proposals and sponsored research programmes related to wildlife health, disease surveillance, biosurveillance, conservation medicine, wildlife health intelligence and One Health preparedness.

• Serve as Principal Investigator or scientific lead, with accountability for research direction, milestone delivery, funder reporting, budget stewardship, compliance and implementation.

• Build a sustainable funding pipeline by translating research priorities and platform capabilities into credible proposals, donor narratives, partnerships and externally reviewable outputs.
  

3. Collaboration, stakeholder engagement and regional networks

• Build and maintain collaborations with Mandai Nature, Mandai Wildlife Group, Singapore One Health partners, academic institutions, diagnostic laboratories, government agencies, conservation NGOs, zoological institutions and regional wildlife health partners.

• Support a Singapore-anchored regional wildlife health intelligence network that links ex situ conservation intelligence, in situ wildlife health expertise, field surveillance, diagnostics, ecological data and capacity building.

• Work with regional and global partners to develop joint proposals, training programmes, field-to-intelligence workflows, data-sharing pathways, workshops andpartner-node development.
  

4. Team, laboratory and trainee leadership

• Supervise and mentor research staff, postdoctoral fellows, veterinary residents, interns, research assistants, students and collaborators involved in wildlife health research, biosurveillance, diagnostics, field sampling, data analysis and decision-support work.

• Develop and contribute to short courses, fellowships, workshops, clinical attachments and training tools in wildlife disease investigation, biosurveillance, biobanking, pathology, rehabilitation medicine, field sampling and wildlife health intelligence.

• Use Mandai Wildlife Reserve and Mandai’s regional conservation networks as a living laboratory linking research, operations, conservation outcomes and One Health preparedness.

• Develop and support team members.

• Encourage open two-way conversations, constructive challenge, knowledge sharing and multidisciplinary collaboration.

• Actively manage performance outcomes through clear expectations, engaging feedback, development and accountability.

• Manage disputes and address concerns professionally, honestly and efficiently.

• Promote a healthy, inclusive and psychologically safe working environment.
  

5. Governance, ethics, compliance and data stewardship

• Ensure compliance with research ethics, animal ethics, biosafety, biosecurity, institutional approvals, sample access requirements, grant conditions, data governance and partner agreements.

• Maintain accurate records for samples, diagnostics, datasets, projects, approvals, collaborators, budgets, reports and intelligence products.

• Support responsible data integration and sharing arrangements that protect institutional, national, partner and conservation sensitivities while enabling useful wildlife health intelligence.

• Job Requirements:
  PhD or equivalent in Veterinary Infectious Disease Genetics and/or Veterinary Epidemiology, or a related field.

• Postdoctoral training or equivalent independent research experience in wildlife health, conservation medicine, disease ecology, biosurveillance, diagnostics, pathogen genomics, environmental surveillance, epidemiology, One Health, wildlife rehabilitation research or applied conservation science would be advantageous.

• Training or demonstrated competency in grant writing, grant management, research compliance, biosafety, animal ethics, data governance, field sampling, disease investigation, biobank integration or project leadership would be advantageous.

• At least 5 years of research leadership experience in wildlife health, conservation medicine, veterinary science, disease ecology, biosurveillance, diagnostics, epidemiology, One Health, ecological health, field-based wildlife research or a related applied research field.

• Demonstrated experience designing and leading multidisciplinary research projects that integrate laboratory, clinical, field, environmental, ecological or data science approaches.

• Experience working with wildlife or non-model species samples, including clinical, pathology, diagnostic, rehabilitation, field, environmental or biobank-linked samples.

• Proven or demonstrable track record in competitive grant development, successful funding applications, funded project delivery, milestone achievement, progress reporting and grant-funded collaboration.

• Experience contributing to peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, technical reports, funder reports, stakeholder briefings and multidisciplinary collaborations.

• Experience with pathogen genomics, metagenomics, microbiome analysis, eDNA, AMR surveillance, serology, vector-borne disease research, environmental monitoring, epidemiological analysis, dashboards, AI-enabled risk modelling or decision-support tools would be desirable.

• Experience working with academic, conservation-linked, zoological, government, diagnostic laboratory, One Health or regional partners would be advantageous.

• Experience developing training, fellowships, workshops, field protocols or regional capacity-building programmes would be advantageous.

• Highly motivated, collaborative and passionate about wildlife conservation, wildlife health and One Health.

• Strategic and systems-oriented, with the ability to connect clinical, laboratory, field, ecological and partner information into useful intelligence.

• Scientifically rigorous, evidence-based and committed to research integrity, biosafety, ethical practice and responsible use of wildlife data and samples.

• Entrepreneurial and grant-oriented, with the ability to identify fundable scientific opportunities, build collaborations, write compelling proposals and deliver funded milestones.

• Operationally practical, with the ability to translate research findings into recommendations that are useful for clinicians, animal care teams, conservation practitioners, government agencies, funders and regional partners.

• Able to multitask, work independently and lead as part of a multidisciplinary team.

• Shows initiative, problem-solving ability and accountability for agreed objectives.

• Excellent verbal and written English, communication, presentation and interpersonal skills.