Professor Andrew Knight

Biography

I am originally from Australia, and ever since helping launch Australia's campaign against the live sheep trade to the Middle East in the early 1990s, I have tried to advocate on behalf of animals. For nearly a decade prior to 2012 I practiced veterinary medicine, mostly around London. In 2013 - 2014 I Directed the Clinical Skills Laboratory and taught animal ethics, welfare, veterinary practice management, and surgical and medical skills at one of the world’s largest veterinary schools in the Caribbean.

I am now Professor of Animal Welfare and Ethics, and Founding Director of the University's Centre for Animal Welfare; Adjunct Professor in the School of Environment and Science at Griffith University, Queensland; an EBVS European and RCVS Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law; an American and New Zealand Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare; and a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

I have around 150 academic and 80 popular publications, an extensive series of YouTube videos, on plant-based companion animal diets, climate change and the livestock sector, invasive animal research, educational animal use, humane clinical and surgical skills training, and other animal welfare issues. I’ve delivered nearly 200 presentations at conferences and universities internationally, and have have organized or chaired seven conferences and seminars. I regularly work with animal welfare charities to advocate for animals, and am frequently interviewed by the media. 

I have been honoured with 14 awards and 15 research grants, including the Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics Shomer Award, a University Values Award and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association Humane Achievement Award, all in 2019. I enjoy teaching, and was delighted to receive a University Student-Led Teaching Award in 2017.

My informational websites include www.SustainablePetFood.info, www.HumaneLearning.info, www.AnimalExperiments.info, and www.livestockimpacts.info.

Areas of expertise

Animal welfare science, ethics and law

Publications

Selected publications from recent years:

• Knight A, Huang E, Rai N, Brown H (2022) Vegan versus meat-based dog food: Guardian-reported indicators of health. PLoS ONE 17(4): e0265662. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265662.
• Knight, A., Mace, J., O'Brien, C., & Carter, A. (2021). Development of a screencast-based flipped classroom, to enrich learning and reduce faculty time requirements, in an animal welfare masters degree. J Vet Med Educ e20210117. doi: 10.3138/jvme-2021-0117. 
• Carvalho C, Herrmann K, Marques TA and Knight A (2021). Time to abolish the forced swim test in depression research? Journal of Applied Animal Ethics Research. 3. https://doi.org/10.1163/25889567-bja10026.
• Knight A and Satchell L. (2021). Vegan versus meat-based pet foods: owner-reported palatability behaviours and implications for canine and feline welfare. PLoS ONE 16(6): e0253292. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253292.
• Knight A and Light N. (2021). The nutritional soundness of meat-based and plant-based pet foods. Revista Electronica De Veterinaria 22(1), 1 - 21. http://veterinaria.org/index.php/REDVET/article/view/92.
• Zemanova MA, Knight A and Lybæk S (2021). Educational use of animals in Europe reveals reluctance to implement alternatives. ALTEX 38(3), 490 - 506. doi: 10.14573/altex.2011111.
• Schmidt K, Duffield D, Rodriguez Ferrere M, and Knight A. (2021). Farmed Animal Welfare Law in New Zealand: Investigating the Gap Between the Animal Welfare Act 1999 and its Delegated Legislation. Wellington: New Zealand Animal Law Association.
• Rivera SN, Knight A and McCulloch SP (2021). Surviving the wildlife trade in Southeast Asia: reforming the ‘disposal’ of confiscated live animals under CITES. Animals 11(2), 439. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/2/439.
• Zemanova MA and Knight A (2021). The educational efficacy of humane teaching methods: a systematic review of the evidence. Animals; 11(1):114
• Knight A, Parkinson C, MacCormack P, Twine R, Peixoto M and Pederson H, et al. (2020). Transition to plant-based diets will help us fight pandemics. Latin American Journal of Nature Rights and Animal Law, 3(2), 143-148. 
• Open Cages, Knight A and Wiebers D (2020). A British Pandemic: the Cruelty and Danger of Supermarket Chicken. UK: Open Cages.
• Carvalho C, Varela SAM, Marques TA, Knight A and Vicente L (2020). Are in vitro and in silico approaches used appropriately for animal-based Major Depressive Disorder research? PLoS ONE. 15(6), e0233954. 
• Carvalho, C., Peste, F., Marques, T. A., Knight, A., & Vicente, L. (2020). The contribution of rat studies to the current knowledge of Major Depressive Disorder: results from citation analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1486. 
• Knight (2020), Should New Zealand do more to uphold animal welfare? Animal Studies Journal, 9(1), 114-149.
  
• De Boo J and Knight A (2020). The Green Protein Report: Meeting New Zealand’s Climate Change Targets by 2030 Through Reduced Reliance on Animal Agriculture. Auckland: Vegan Society of Aotearoa New Zealand.
• Carvalho, C., Varela, S. A. M., Bastos, Knight A, et al. (2019). The relevance of in silico, in vitro and non-human primate based approaches to clinical research on Major Depressive Disorder. Alternatives to Laboratory Animals, 47(34), 128139.
• Carvalho, C.; Gaspar, A.; Knight, A. and Vicente, L (2019). Ethical and scientific pitfalls concerning laboratory research with non-human primates, and possible solutions. Animals 9, 12. 
• Knight A (2019). Critically evaluating animal research. In Herrmann K and Jayne K. (2019). Animal Experimentation: Working Towards a Paradigm Change. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill.
• Carvalho C, Alves D, Knight A and Vicente L (2019). Is animal-based biomedical research being used in its original context? In Herrmann K and Jayne K. (2019). Animal Experimentation: Working Towards a Paradigm Change. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill.
  
• Lymbery P Knight A et al. (2018). Governments should unite to curb meat consumption. Nature 563, 325.
• Knight A (2018). Injuries in Racing Greyhounds. Cleveland, UK: Greyt Exploitations.
• Knight A and De Boo J (2018). The case for veganism. In D’Silva J and McKenna C. Farming Food and Nature: Respecting Animals, People and the Environment. London: Routledge. 238 - 247.
• Knight A (2018). Uncaging New Zealand’s Sows: Scrutinising Farrowing Crates. Wellington, New Zealand: SAFE.
• Grevemeyer B and Knight A. (2018). The development of a clinical skills laboratory at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. Alternatives to Laboratory Animals 46, 177-183.
  
• Benz-Schwarzburg J. and Knight A. (2017). Cognitive relatives yet moral strangers? In: A. Linzey and C. Linzey (Eds). Animal Ethics for Veterinarians. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press. 45-77. [reprinted from J Anim Ethics 2011; 1(1): 9-36].
• Knight A. (2017). Advice requested via social media. In Practice 39, 478-479.
• Knight A. (2017). Painful truths: what systematic reviews reveal about the utility of animal research. Proceedings of the ANZCCART Conference 2017, Maintaining Social Licence in a Changing World, Wellington. Wellington: ANZCCART. 31-36.
• Knight A. (2017). Owners cannot afford treatment. In: S. Mullan and A. Fawcett (Eds). Veterinary Ethics: Navigating Tough Cases. Sheffield, UK: 5M Publishing. 199-201.
• Knight A (2017). Samples & freebies. In: S. Mullan and A. Fawcett (Eds). Veterinary Ethics: Navigating Tough Cases. Sheffield, UK: 5M Publishing. 244-246.
• Knight (2017). Difficulties in obtaining consent. In: S. Mullan and A. Fawcett (Eds). Veterinary Ethics: Navigating Tough Cases. Sheffield, UK: 5M Publishing. 302-304.
• Knight A (2017). Acting without consent. In: S. Mullan and A. Fawcett (Eds). Veterinary Ethics: Navigating Tough Cases. Sheffield, UK: 5M Publishing. 312-315.
• Knight A (2017). Zoonosis. In S. Mullan and A. Fawcett (Eds). Veterinary Ethics: Navigating Tough Cases. Sheffield, UK: 5M Publishing. 436-438.
• Knight A. and Watson K.D. (2017). Was Jack the Ripper a slaughterman? Human-animal violence and the world’s most infamous serial killer. Animals 2017, 7, 30.
• Knight, A. (2016) Hunters fail to silence critics. Veterinary Times, 46 (24). 28.
• Anderson, R., Waayers, R. and Knight, A. (2016). Orca behavior and implications for oceanaria confinement and use in performances: aggression increases and behavioral pathology. Animals, 6 (8).
• Knight, A. and Leitsberger, M. (2016). Vegetarian versus meat-based diets for companion animals. Animals, 6, 57. (This quickly became the most viewed article in the journal Animals).
• Carvalho C., Crespo M.V., Bastos L.F., Knight A. and Vicente L. (2016). Contribution of animal models to contemporary understanding of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. ALTEX, 33(3): 243-249.
• Knight A. (2016) A request for euthanasia: handling the client. In Practice 38: 358-359.
• Knight A. (2016) Can hunts control their hounds? Vet Times 46(15): 5.
• Knight A. (2016) Horse manure: the new secret weapon in cetacean conservation research. Vet Practice 48 (1): 34.
• Knight A (2014). Conscientious objection to harmful animal use within veterinary and other biomedical education. Animals, 4, 16-34.
• Knight A. (2014) Weighing the harms and benefits: invasive animal research. The Biochemist 36 (3): 30-33.
• Knight A. (2014) Everyday ethics: dealing with dark desires [feline case]. In Practice 36: 54-55.
• Knight A. (2014). Animal welfare and rights: pet and companion animals. In: B. Jennings (Ed.), Bioethics (4th Edn). Farmington Hills, MI: Macmillan Reference USA. 269-270.
• Knight A. (2013) The Australasian regulation of scientific animal use: a chimera of protection. In: P. Sankoff, S. White and C. Black (Eds.) Animal Law in Australasia: Continuing the Dialogue (2nd Edn). Annandale, NSW, Australia: Federation Press. 264 288.
• Knight A. (2013) Animal agriculture and climate change. In: A. Linzey (Ed.). The Global Guide to Animal Protection. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, pp 254-256.
• Knight A. (2012) The potential of humane teaching methods within veterinary and other biomedical education. ALTEX Proc  1: 365-375.
• Knight A. (2012) A critique of the Bateson Review of Research Using Non-human Primates. AATEX 17 (2): 53-62.
• Benz-Schwarzburg J and Knight A. (2011) Cognitive relatives yet moral strangers? J. Anim. Ethics  1 (1): 9-36
• Knight A. (2011) The Costs and Benefits of Animal Experiments, Palgrave Macmillan Series on Animal Ethics (hardback 2011, paperback 2013)