MSc Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare

Our 💻 Discover Dissertation 💻 series continues with Grace Carter’s project:


Project title: How can policies and interventions be improved to better support working animal welfare and community resilience during all phases of the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) cycle?

Supervisors: Rebecca Doyle and Mihaiela Swift

"My dissertation project is in partnership with the amazing Brooke, Action For Working Horses and Donkeys, as a part of their global scale research on working equine Disaster Risk Management (DRM). The project title is “How can policies and interventions be improved to better support working animal welfare and community resilience during all phases of the DRM cycle?” It involves a mixed-methods survey approach, with aims to discover the barriers and drivers to implementing working animals into DRM policy and plans.

This project has taught me how to design and manage a survey with both quantitative and qualitative data analysis in mind. I am learning how to collaborate with an NGO and collect data for my dissertation, but also for possible reuse by the organization. I am also getting familiar with R studio, as well as NVivo for my data analysis. I have loved working on this project as it is such an important, under-researched topic, and I am learning many useful skills I can carry with me for a future career in animal welfare science. Thank you to my wonderful supervisors Rebecca Doyle and Mihaiela Swift for all your support!"

Animal Welfare Centre

Want to find out more about the programme and apply to join? 👉 https://lnkd.in/eyDUpiMg

Our 💻 Discover Dissertation 💻 series continues with Annabelle Chang’s project:

Project title: Developing a welfare assessment guideline for farmed European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax), focusing on the harvest stage.

Supervisors: Susan Jarvis and Fernando Mardones

This project aims to develop a welfare assessment guideline for European seabass through a literature review and interviews with stakeholders in Malta. Hopefully, it can contribute to the development of more species-specific assessment frameworks in aquaculture.

I have learned to design and conduct focus groups with experts in this field and am learning how to carry out qualitative analysis. I especially enjoy learning new ideas, methods, and tools, as well as the moments when things suddenly make sense after being confused for a while.

I am also very grateful for the opportunity to visit fish farms in Malta, and Aquatic Resources Malta. It was an exceptional experience beyond words!

Want to find out more about the programme and apply to join? 👉 https://lnkd.in/eyDUpiMg

What are you views on Artificial Intelligence and Veterinarians diagnosing pain in animals?

Our student, Sijin, is investigating this for her dissertation.

If you can please spare around 7 minutes to take this anonymous survey and/or share it, we would be very grateful! Thank you!

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/L1TMAHHTzr?origin=lprLink

Our 💻 Discover Dissertation 💻 series continues with Leyi Cao's project:

"Project title: UK horse owners’ perception of dental pain signs in their horses

About the project: My project looks at how UK horse owners recognise and interpret possible behavioural and physical signs of dental pain in horses.

What I am learning / enjoying: This project has taught me a lot about designing a questionnaire with data analysis in mind, as well as how to contact horse owners appropriately and effectively for survey recruitment. I have especially enjoyed exploring how owners interpret subtle behavioural changes in horses, and how this may help support earlier recognition of welfare concerns.

Supervisors: Rebekah Kennedy and Cynthia Naydani"

If you are a horse owner in the UK and would like to contribute to Leyi's research, please take a few minutes to answer her anonymous online survey: https://forms.office.com/e/a2DEmjwYu8

Want to find out more about the programme and apply to join? 👉 https://study.ed.ac.uk/programmes/postgraduate-taught/238-applied-animal-behaviour-and-animal-welfare

Next in our our 💻 Discover Dissertation 💻 series is Mari Madigan's project on unowned cats 🐈‍⬛ (pictured with the lovely Luna)

"Project title: Using behaviour change science to identify the barriers and levers to successful identification and management of unowned cats in Devon, England.

Supervisors: Cynthia Naydani (University of Edinburgh) and Sandøe Peter(University of Copenhagen)

My project aims to use qualitative methods to find out how people living in Devon identify unowned cats, and what they may do to manage them; this will hopefully help with their future management in the context of supporting the success of a potential European Wildcat reintroduction to the area by minimising hybridisation between domestic cats and wildcats.

Through my project, I have been learning how to code qualitative data for thematic analysis. This is a new skill for me, as I have previously conducted more statistics-heavy quantitative projects. It has been an enjoyable new challenge to learn these skills, and I have loved speaking to people about my project in the process of recruiting and interviewing participants."

Want to find out more about the programme and apply to join? 👉 https://study.ed.ac.uk/programmes/postgraduate-taught/238-applied-animal-behaviour-and-animal-welfare

The dissertation period is one of the most exciting parts of the programme, and prospective students are often asking us about what sorts of research these projects entail. So, we're introducing our 💻 Discover Dissertation 💻 series to highlight a few of the projects currently underway.

We're starting with Emily Clifton's important research:

"My dissertation project is titled “Exploring Behavioural Indicators linked to Subclinical Mastitis within a Meat Ewe Flock (Ovis aries)”. The main aim of my project is to validate a behavioural indicator which could be utilised as a welfare friendly diagnostic tool for subclinical mastitis in sheep, as there is a lack of easily observable physical symptoms, resulting in high levels of missed diagnoses. This project is allowing me to learn how to handle and analyse large datasets as well as giving me the opportunity to read and understand a topic that I’m interested in. My supervisors, Michelle Reeves and Susan Jarvis, have been a great help throughout this project."

Want to find out more about the programme and apply to join? 👉 https://study.ed.ac.uk/programmes/postgraduate-taught/238-applied-animal-behaviour-and-animal-welfare

Next in our 🎓 From MSc to Impact 🎓 series, we'd like to introduce you to Melodia Tamayo Moreno. Here is her story:

"My name is Melodia Tamayo Moreno. I am from Barcelona, Spain, and I graduated from the MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare in 2020. Since completing the programme, I have built a multidisciplinary career focused on animal welfare, conservation, environmental science, and climate action.

Currently, I work as the Responsible Technician of the Committee of Experts on Climate Change of Catalonia at CREAF (Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications), where I support scientific research, policy coordination, stakeholder engagement, and communication strategies related to climate adaptation and carbon budgeting.
Alongside this position, I worked with AnimalConcepts from November 2021 to September 2024, initially as an external collaborator within the global team and later as the Animal Welfare and Virtual Learning Coordinator. During this time, I coordinated international projects and educational initiatives related to animal welfare science, conservation, sustainability, and professional training. My responsibilities included science communication, project coordination, digital education, content creation, and the development of practical resources designed to enhance animal welfare standards and public engagement.
More recently, I also gained hands-on professional experience as a mammal keeper at Barcelona Zoo, where I was involved in animal care, enrichment, behavioural observation, and welfare monitoring across various species.

My MSc experience at the University of Edinburgh played a fundamental role in shaping both my professional path and personal perspective. The programme strengthened my scientific understanding of animal behaviour and welfare, while also encouraging critical thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the practical application of research to address real-world challenges. It gave me the confidence to work across sectors, connecting animal welfare, biodiversity conservation, sustainability, education, and public engagement.

Looking ahead, I am particularly motivated to become more involved in interdisciplinary research projects and to pursue a PhD focused on the relationship between wild and captive animal welfare and behaviour. My goal is to contribute to research that improves the lives of animals living under different conditions while promoting evidence-based welfare practices, conservation, and a deeper understanding of animal needs. What continues to motivate me most is contributing to a future where animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and biodiversity conservation are approached as deeply interconnected challenges, and scientific knowledge is translated into meaningful action and positive social impact."

Want to share your story? Email [email protected]. Want to make this story your own? Apply to join us in September at https://study.ed.ac.uk/programmes/postgraduate-taught/238-applied-animal-behaviour-and-animal-welfare

Another one for the horsepeople! Our wonderful student Leyi is investigating horse owner perceptions regarding dental pain in horses for her dissertation - this work will help us understand how to support owners in identifying potential problems early, to improve equine health and welfare. If you can please spare 10 minutes to take this anonymous survey and/or share it, we would be very grateful! Thank you!

Link to survey: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=sAafLmkWiUWHiRCgaTTcYfibQfC0_dhNkuBgFbCstj9UOU9TVDU2NEVUTDIwRVI1WlZONk80Wlg4SS4u

Equine Science at Edinburgh
Animal Welfare Centre
The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
Dick Vet Equine

Do you live in Devon, England? Do you have 20 minutes to talk about cats? If so, please consider participating in this dissertation project research! To find out more and register interest, please follow this link: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=sAafLmkWiUWHiRCgaTTcYWRM4i3806VDlPXWpt4yePJUQVVEQlo1WDNYNkYxV1k4R1I3TkRaTDlMSi4u&route=shorturl

Thank you, and please share!

For our Indonesian colleagues, contacts and alumni - our student Zia is completing her dissertation research on antibiotic prescribing among Indonesian vets. If you have 10 minutes to take her anonymous online survey (available in Bahasa Indonesia and English), please find out more here: https://bit.ly/survei-drh
Thank you and please share!