We are currently recruiting undergraduate interns (1 position) for fall 2026.
Dr. Makagon is seeking an undergraduate student intern (2 units of ANS 99 or 199)to assist with a study investigating whether hen-mounted sensors affect hen movement. The student intern will assist with animal training (training birds to approach a target) and hands-on data collection. The successful applicant should be available on MWF between 9:30-11:30am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the fall quarter. In adherence to biosecurity practices, applicants may not own or work with any other birds or pigs. The following qualifications are preferred but not required: 1) prior animal training and/or animal handling experience, 2) prior experience with chickens, 3) prior research experience. Interested students should submit the following via the BOX upload link provided below:
- confirm the outlined availability and eligibility to enroll in 2 units of ANS 99 or 199
- provide information regarding the three preferred qualifications (above)
- briefly indicate why you are interested in this experience and how it aligns with your personal/professional goals.
- up to date resume (see general information section below)
The deadline to apply is 5pm on Tuesday 09/28. Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received, and the position will remain open until filled.
To be considered for an internship in the Makagon Lab, please upload files containing the requested information here (https://ucdavis.app.box.com/f/8a649aeba3b1487a9b4b17c57202688a). The files must be names as follows: LastName.FirstName_QuarterYear_FileNumber (e.g. Smith.Joe_Fall2026_1; Smith.Joe_Fall2026_2). You may upload up to 2 files: 1 for your Resume and one containing all other information.
General internship information to keep in mind:
A variety of internship and independent project opportunities are available to motivated undergraduate students. Our undergraduate students are involved in all aspects of research, and are encouraged to pursue small independent projects. As a result many have presented at national and international conferences, co-authored abstracts or manuscripts, and earned research awards. If you are interested in joining our lab, the internship application information detailed below is for you!
Before applying for an internship we ask that you explore the “What We Do” page to confirm that the research topics we work on align with your interests. If so, we encourage you to email with the following materials to the designated individual (contact information will be updated mid-fall; please check back):
1) your resume along with a cover letter highlighting any relevant research or course experiences you have had and what you hope to gain from the internship opportunity. Not sure how to put together a resume or cover letter? The Internship and Career Center provides examples along with tips on how to get started! No previous research experience? No problem! Research experience is not a pre-requisite for joining our lab. We provide hands-on training in all tasks carried the undergraduate student researchers.
2) your availability for the quarter when you wish to work in the lab. Please note that we require all of our incoming undergraduate interns to commit at least 6 hours of work per week, either in 2 x 3 hr or 3 x 2 hr chunks of time.
Although we are always looking for dedicated and detail oriented students, we do give priority to internship applicants who connect with us before the start of or within the first 2 weeks of a given quarter.
Interested in applied animal behavior or animal welfare research, but don’t think poultry is for you? Check out applied ethology/animal welfare research opportunities in other labs associated with the Center for Animal Welfare at UC Davis, basic and applied animal behavior research opportunities in labs associated with the Animal Behavior Graduate Group, or external internship opportunities (this external link is a good starting point).