Our Research
Animal welfare is a growing scientific discipline reflecting considerable public concern. Our research in animal welfare is led by a multi-disciplinary team of international experts, who work with a variety of animals including laboratory, farm, companion, and zoo animals.
Our work addresses fundamental research questions relating to the development of novel observational, experimental, and computational methods to measure and understand animal welfare and associated emotional or affective states. Our work also applies these methods to determine how to improve the lives of animals.
Within the scope of animal welfare assessment, we investigate two main areas:
- Development of novel measures of animal welfare
- Assessment of animal welfare
- Animal behaviour and welfare
- Specialist in the development of novel methods to assess the affective state of animals
- Veterinary behavioural medicine, and companion animal welfare veterinary behaviourist
- Director of the Animal Behaviour Clinic and editor and author of several books on companion animal behaviour</li>
- Animal behaviour and cognition
- Specialist in animal cognition, with a keen interest in reptile cognition and welfare
- Animal behaviour and welfare
- Specialist in animal behaviour and welfare of farm, companion, laboratory, and zoo animals
- Animal behaviour and welfare
- Specialist in the welfare of a variety of animals, with a keen interest in rabbits
- Behavioural and sensory ecology
- Specialist in visual and olfactory signalling, animal social networks, and their applications to welfare
- Behavioural ecology
- Research assistant in behavioural ecology, animal social networks, and associated welfare implications
Dr Anjuli Barber
- Animal cognition and welfare
- Postdoctoral researcher working on perception, expression and the physiology of emotions in dogs
Tom Rowland
- Animal behaviour and welfare
- PhD student developing a complex network approach to animal welfare
Kerry Hill
- MSc Res student working on 'Welfare audits in UK zoos: A review of current practice and future directions'
Kathryn Willcox
- MSc Res student working on 'The assessment of affective state in wild bird populations'
Tim Simons
- PhD student working on behavioural and brain lateralization in dog emotionality