After completing my undergraduate degree in Zoology at the University of Reading, I moved to the University of Edinburgh to complete an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare. It is through this MSc that my interest in animal welfare research was really ignited. I then moved to Chester to complete my PhD exploring the epidemiology of behaviour problems and risk factors for poor welfare in UK leisure horses at the University of Liverpool (based at the University of Chester). I used large-scale internet surveys of UK leisure horse owners to generate horse level data on routine husbandry and the frequency behaviour problems were expressed. Multivariate statistics were then used to investigate relationships between individual behaviour problems and to identify their associated risk factors.
I joined the Animal Welfare and Behaviour Group at Bristol Veterinary School in 2011 and since this time have been involved in a wide range of research projects, from working equine and livestock health and welfare, to antimicrobial use in the food animal production sector. I am currently working on projects exploring the drivers of the UK equine crisis, chronic lameness in dairy cows and the use of animal behavioural analytics to improve cattle welfare, health, productivity and sustainability.