Animals are used for research. They are subjected to a variety of experiments relating to human psychology, injuries, and medical treatments. A lot of testing is controversial. Some are in favor of animal testing because of the human benefits — finding cures for diseases. Others strongly voice their opinions against such testing because of the stress and harm to the animals.

Many people who work for nonprofit organizations, such as the Humane Society of the United States and the National Anti-Vivisection Society, are educating the public about the welfare of the thousands of animals that are used in experiments. These organizations hire researchers to study animal behavior.

Jonathan Balcombe, PhD, a senior research scientist with the nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, has devoted his work to studying animals and their behaviors without experimenting on them. He says he is a research scientist who doesn't wear a white lab coat or test on animals. “I study animal behavior, research scientific literature, write books, prepare research papers for lectures, and publish scholarly papers,” he says. “I'm fortunate enough to be with Physicians Committee because they promote alternatives to animal research.”

Balcombe, a vegan who loves studying animals, feels quite fortunate that he found a niche for himself in the animal world. His recent book, Pleasurable Kingdom, which explains to readers that animals do indeed experience joy, has opened many doors for his work. “The message in my book, which is geared for the public, is in line with my work at Physicians Committee,” he says. “The book shows readers that animals experience a wide range of emotions — including happiness.”

Because of the popularity of his book, he gets to tour the country speaking on behalf of the animals and the work of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. “I wrote Pleasurable Kingdom independently of my work at Physicians Committee,” he says. “However, the message in my book coincides with that of Physicians Committee. Prior to my work on this book, the subject matter was grossly overlooked by most biologists. The research benefits animals and provides credibility to the issue that animals experience pleasure. I enjoy that I can work as an ambassador for them.”

Prior to working at Physicians Committee, he worked as an associate director of the Humane Society. Balcombe suggests that students who want to work as researchers take an equal number of animal biology, behavior, and communications courses. “Writing is essential to this job,” he says. “You have to know how to write grants, how to write for the public, and how to write scientific papers.”

Having a bachelor of science degree is a start, but most animal researchers also have an advanced degree. Graduate students with a master's or doctorate can apply either to nonprofit organizations or to academia. Salaries at colleges and universities are often higher than those at nonprofits. Someone with a PhD can expect to earn in the low to mid-$50,000s to start. Mid-level researchers earn $60,000.