Centre for Animal Welfare
A high-impact centre dedicated to the advancement of animal welfare.
View contentAbout us
Our Centre for Animal Welfare (CAW) has a world-leading set of specialists in animal welfare, animal behaviour, animal law and advocacy. We are passionate about helping animals, and very actively advocate for animals, through our teaching, research, external presentations, our support of external campaigns, and of non-governmental and governmental organisations working to advocate for animals, and to advance their welfare. We’re one of the world’s leading centres in these respects. We are the academic centre to join for those who want to actively advocate for animals and to advance their welfare.
CAW's MSc and BSc courses are based in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, while its BA course is offered by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. For further course details, see below under Study With Us.
CAW has partnerships with Compassion in World Farming and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and links with many others working in the animal welfare field. Through CAW the University is a signatory to the CreatureKind commitment.
Our seminar series on important and interesting animal welfare issues is one of several means by which we seek to engage with wider society to increase knowledge and understanding about animal welfare and animal use practices. For forthcoming events, see below under What's On.
Meet the team
Academic staff
- Prof. Andrew Knight, CAW Director and Professor of Animal Welfare and Ethics
- Dr Hazel Brown, Head of the School of Sport, Health and Community
- Dr Robert Gray, Senior Lecturer in Environmental History
- Dr Adalinda Hernandez, Lecturer in Animal Welfare
- Natalie Light (BSc, PGDip, PGCert, CCAB, FHEA), Lecturer BA Animal Welfare & Society; find out more about Natalie
- Jenny Mace (BSc, MSc AWSEL, FHEA), Lecturer MSc Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law; read Jenny's latest publication, co-authored with CAW's Dr Steven McCulloch
- Dr Steven McCulloch, Senior Lecturer in Human-Animal Studies
- Prof. Neil Messer, Professor of Theology
- Dr Lisa Riley, Senior Lecturer in Animal Welfare
- Dr Liam Satchell, Senior Lecturer in Psychology
- Dr Amoret Whitaker, Senior Lecturer in Forensic Entomology
Visiting Professors
- Professor David Clough, Professor in Theology and Applied Sciences, University of Aberdeen and Co-Founder of CreatureKind
- Professor Luke Gamble, Founder and CEO of Worldwide Veterinary Service and Mission Rabies
- Professor Philip Lymbery, CEO of Compassion in World Farming
- Professor Paula Sparks, Chair of the UK Centre of Animal Law
Visiting Lecturers
- Dr Moira Harris, BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, PgCertTLHE, SFHEA; find out more about Moira
- Emily Davies MSc AWSEL; find out more about Emily
- Dr Donelle Gadenne, Visiting Lecturer in Animal Welfare
- Tom Gooch, Visiting Lecturer in Animal Behaviour and Welfare
External Advisor
- Professor Peter Singer, Professor of Bioethics
Research students
- Pam Adams-Wright: 'An investigation into why post-weaning stereotypical pacing develops in red squirrel kittens at Wildwood Escot and Wildwood Kent'
- Rebecca Hammerton: 'Keeper perceptions of captive primate diets: nutritional and welfare perspectives'
- Catherine Farren: 'International animal protection: sociocultural factors for animal protection reform’.
- Elizabeth Roe: 'Breeding Success and Welfare in Aye-Ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis): Wild and Captive Perspectives'
- Nicky Shaw: 'Responses of the domestic dog to artificial intelligence technology: training and welfare perspectives'