Having completed a Masters in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare at the University of Edinburgh in 2001, I started working as a technician / research assistant in farm animal behaviour and welfare. First studying the ability of laying hens to negotiate moves between perches at Heriot-Watt University, then pre-weaning mortality of pigs on commercial farms in the UK at the University of Bristol. The latter enabled me to visit over 100 pig farms around the UK and gave me some insight to the challenges both for farmers and pigs on commercial farms. 

Following this I studied for a PhD in pig welfare, focusing on tail-biting behaviour and how it develops, a subject that still fascinates me. Since then I have worked on a variety of research projects, including the effects of transport on sheep, how early life experience affects how sheep cope with handling and movement later in life and comparing preference test outcomes with other welfare indicators in laying hens. My most recent research project was on automatic measurements of startle responses in pigs. This involved validating startle as a measure of affective state in pigs and working with colleagues in the Computing Department to develop image analysis techniques that could detect and measure the amplitude of startle reactions in individuals, small groups and finally on commercial farms. 

Since 2016 my main role has been as Network Manager for the Animal Welfare Research Network. Further information about the AWRN can be found here: www.awrn.co.uk.