With over 30 years working within the zoo profession, as well as holding various academic appointments, I am a passionate advocate of professional/academic collaborations to gather data which can underpin evidence based practice, to achieve great animal welfare and conservation outcomes. I believe that empowering people, with the knowledge and skills, needed to implement evidence based practice is fundamental to successfully improving animal welfare and conservation. A central theme in my research, teaching and professional activities, is a keen interest in human-animal interactions; where an understanding of both is critical to enhancing the lives of both parties and ensureing a healthy planet. 

Exploring human-animal interactions, especially with wildlife. 

Ensuring good animal welfare during interactions with humans.

Establishing positive stakeholder engagement in wildlife conservation.

Evaluating the value of zoos within communities; including Zoos on Prescription.

A Doyle ‘Health and welfare of captive vultures’. UWE/Hartpury University: DoS (FT initiated Jan ’24)

G Oaten ‘Human animal interactions and particular expertise in zoos and with this species.’ UWE/Hartpury University: DoS (PT initiated Jan ’22)

R Whitefield ‘How do cross-cultural stakeholder wildlife values interlink?’ UWE/Hartpury University: DoS (PT initiated Oct ’20)

E Gibson ‘Exploring the Impact of Dairy Producers and Consumers on Dairy Herd Welfare.’ UWE/Hartpury University: DoS (FT submitted '25)

P Doodson ‘Studying the impact of ‘Meet & Greet’ human-animal interactions on zoo visitors and the wider public’. UWE/Hartpury University: DoS (PT completed Jan ‘25)

S Blake ‘Reducing the risk factors which impact dog welfare through injury in Flyball in the UK’ UWE/Hartpury University (FT completed Oct ’24)

L Dumbell ‘Profiling the competitive participant in Olympic equestrian disciplines: past, present and future.’ UWE/Hartpury University [DPhil]: DoS (PT completed ‘22)

S Chiew ‘Zoo visitor-animal interactions: effects on both the animal in display enclosures and visitors.’ University of Melbourne (PT completed Apr ’21)

G Tabor ‘The use of objective markers and outcome measures in equine physiotherapy and rehabilitation.’ UWE/Hartpury University [DPhil] (PT completed Jun ’20)

L K Acaralp-Rehnberg ‘Human-animal interaction in the modern zoo: Live animal encounter programs and associated effects on animal welfare.  University of Melbourne (FT completed ‘19)

J Bishop ‘Effect of predictability in zoo husbandry routines on animal welfare’, University of Plymouth (FT completed Oct ‘12)

K Knight ‘The evolution of primate personality and its possible value as a welfare indicator’ University of Exeter (PT completed April ‘11)

J Rabineau ‘Welfare in zoo-housed Colobus guereza’, University of Exeter (PT completed Feb ‘10)

N Dorey ‘Experimental investigation of social learning in domestic animals and non-human primates’, University of Exeter (FT completed June ‘08)