Internship - Contextual analysis of national legislations relevant to animal health and welfare - WOAH Observatory, Data Integration Department - WOAH HQ, Paris

Internship – Observatory – Data Integration Department

Context

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH – founded as OIE) is a leading intergovernmental organisation representing 183 Members worldwide. Through its activities, WOAH makes a decisive contribution to improving animal health, protecting animal welfare and strengthening Veterinary Services. The Organisation provides transparent information on world's animal health situation, and promotes international standards, particularly in terms of the safety of trade in live animals and animal products. More information can be found on
WOAH's website
.

Joining WOAH means taking part in the development of one of the leading international organisations, recognised and associated with other multilateral institutions, in the field of worldwide health. It means helping to build a global approach to health, combining animal and human health in a "One Health" approach. It means joining teams motivated by the impact of their actions, the sense of their collective commitment and their recognised professionalism in their respective fields of expertise.

WOAH's headquarters are based in Paris. The Organisation is present on every continent through 13 Regional or Sub-regional Representations. WOAH has 250 staff members, two-thirds of whom are based at headquarters.
This position is located in Paris, France

Mission of Data Integration Department (DID) is to enhance WOAH's decision-making capabilities by analysing data from diverse sources, both internal and external, providing a comprehensive view for both internal stakeholders within the Organisation and its stakeholders including Members and partners. WOAH has established a
Observatory
to progressively monitor, identify and analyse challenges faced by Members enables WOAH to improve the standard setting process, ensure that standards remain relevant and fit for purpose, and to develop a more strategic focus to its capacity building activities.

The DID is also mandated to regularly analyse provide epidemiological analysis to produce global animal disease situation reports (for
HPAI
and
ASF
as an example) and to lead the implementation of WOAH's epidemic intelligence framework (internal decision paper), as well as contributing to a more data-driven decision-making of the Organisation by leading Data Management Working Group and WOAH survey coordination (internal mechanisms). National legislations and regulations related to animal health and welfare are the key outputs of the implementation of WOAH standards by its Members. However, the systematic collection of data concerning such legislations has been considered infeasible unless Members would analyse and report to WOAH on their own costs.

In this context the Data Integration Department is offering a Master thesis project for a motivated student interested in global animal health data, analytics, and policy. The project will require the student to be available on-site in Paris, France. Based at WOAH's headquarters in the historical centre of Paris, the student will benefit from a truly international environment, close supervision by WOAH experts, and exposure to a wide professional network of scientists, policy-makers, and partner organisations. These projects offer an exceptional opportunity to gain hands-on experience at the interface of science, data, and global policy, while contributing to work with tangible global impact

Job Description

Positioning and reporting

Under the authority of the WOAH's Deputy Director General (International Standards and Science), and the direct supervision of the Head of the Data Integration Department (DID) with functional reporting to the scientific Officer.

Intership purpose: Master thesis project – Contextual analysis of national legislations relevant to animal health and welfare

The purpose of this internship is to support the development a new tool that enables WOAH to proactively identify relevant legislations and regulations using the latest technological advancements. In the immediate term, the tool will contribute to refining the current set of Observatory Monitoring Indicators. In a longer term, it has a potential to scale up and serve for WOAH's active assessments of technical areas where its standards and services may need improvements.

Missions and activities

– Analyse national legislation and regulations from FAOLEX (
FAOLEX Database | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
) related to animal welfare and emergency preparedness, using abstracts in English, French, or Spanish.

– Develop an optimal system prompt for large language models (LLMs) to enable contextual analysis of legislative titles and abstracts.

– Compare legislative content with relevant Chapters of WOAH Codes to assess alignment or gaps.

– Expand dataset scope to include trade-related information from the WTO SPS notification database, depending on project progress (optional)

Requirements

Qualifications and Experience

Minimum Required qualifications

Master 1 level (or equivalent) in veterinary sciences, life science, international affairs, public health, agricultural sciences, statistics, artificial intelligence or other relevant fields.

Expected Skills

Technical skills:

– Analysis and problem solving.

– Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, such as Excel, Word and PowerPoint

– Excellent knowledge of English, both spoken and written.

– Basic understanding of LLM principles

– Basic knowledge of national legislation in veterinary public health context

Interpersonal skills:

– Ability to work in an agile way and deliver at pace.

– Organisation skills and ability to meet deadlines.

– Team player who can integrate well into the department and is willing to commit to supporting the development of Observatory outputs

Additional Information

Working conditions

The post is a full-time position based at the WOAH Headquarters in Paris. It requires long hours in a seated position at a computer.

Salary:
800 euros/Month

Duration:
4 to6 months- Starting date flexible from December 2025 to October 2026

General Information

WOAH places high value on a multicultural and positive work environment. WOAH is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified candidates, irrespective of their origin, gender, opinions or beliefs. If you are interested in the position, please complete your application online at the latest by December 20th, 2025.

APPLY HERE