Animal Behaviour and Welfare

Academic staff

The following staff are available to supervise honours and masters coursework in the field of Animal Behaviour and Welfare.

Project topics:

Suited to students with demonstrated interested in one or a combination of animal behaviour / physiology / biology. The research program in the Animal Welfare Science Centre encompasses a wide array of studies on animal behaviour and welfare, on animals, particularly farm animals (e.g. pigs, poultry, dairy cattle and sheep) but also on zoo and companion animals. These studies are mainly focused on the effects of housing, husbandry and human effects on animal behaviour and welfare. Some of the longer term projects currently running which provide opportunities for Honour or Masters project include, for example, (i) welfare implications of housing systems, both indoor and outdoor such as free-range systems, for sows, laying hens and meat chickens, (ii) welfare implications of different types of environmental enrichment for group-housed growing pigs and sows, (iii) effects of visitors and animal handlers on farm and zoo animals, (iv) development and application of animal welfare training programs for animal handlers and companion animal owners, and (v) development and validation of welfare indices for assessing animal welfare in the field for farm, companion and zoo animals.