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A researcher from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at The University of Nottingham has been recognised for her successful and significant work in animal welfare.
Dr Lucy Asher, who is currently leading a five year project which will help to assess whether young dogs are likely to be successful in their Guide Dog training, has been named as one of the three winners of the inaugural Young Animal Welfare Scientist of the Year Award — presented by the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW).
Dr Asher a lecturer in Epidemiology and Animal Behaviour, said: “It has been a real honour to receive this award. It may sound clichéd but I genuinely care about the welfare of animals so to be recognised for making a contribution means a lot to me. I feel very lucky to have worked with some exceptional scientists on important animal welfare issues, such as the health of pedigree dogs.”
The UFAW Young Animal Welfare Scientist of the Year award is to recognise the achievements of young scientists who have made significant contributions to improving the welfare of animals. It is open to postgraduate students, anywhere in the world, currently studying for a doctoral degree or in post-doctoral work within six years of their PhD.
Lucy Asher’s PhD research, carried out at Newcastle University, involved methods of quantifying repetitive behaviours in captive starlings. She has worked in a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) funded post at the Royal Veterinary College on projects at London and Bristol including welfare of chickens and pedigree dogs, and continued her studies on mathematical approaches for describing behaviour. Dr Asher was also the lead author on a paper published in the Veterinary Journal on inherited defects in pedigree dogs which has been in the top 10 most downloaded papers in that journal since its publication.
Dr James Kirkwood, UFAW Chief Executive and Scientific Director, said: “The standard of applications for this award was extremely high. All three winners have accomplished a great deal of successful and significant work in animal welfare science and have contributed much to future development in their respective fields.”
This year, the first time that this award has been made, saw three winners presented with their prize of £1,000 and award certificate by Professor John Webster of the University of Bristol on behalf of UFAW. The recipients were: Dr Lucy Asher, Lecturer at Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science; Dr Emma Baxter, Research Scientist at the Scottish Agricultural College; and Dr Lisa Collins, Lecturer at Queen’s University, Belfast.
Pictures of Dr Asher are available on request.
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