John O’Hanlon

I joined the Science team at Chester Zoo in 2017 and hold the position of Laboratory Technician, working closely with the Laboratory Coordinator Rebecca Mogey and Lead Conservation Scientist Dr. Katie Edwards.

My primary role focuses around supporting conservation breeding and management through performing hormone analysis, assessing animal physiology in areas such as reproduction and wellbeing. Alongside our veterinary department I contribute to the testing of the zoo’s Asian Elephant herd for Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV), part of an early warning system to respond quickly should the pathogen be detected.

Both aspects allow me to support husbandry decisions made by curators, vets and keepers, not just at Chester Zoo, but among the wider zoo community across Europe through the use of the Endocrinology Diagnostic Service we offer here at the zoo. 

Prior to my time at Chester Zoo, I completed my BSc (Hons) in Zoology at Liverpool John Moore’s University and my MSc in Molecular Biology of Parasites and Disease Vectors at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.