Dr Nicola Rooney

A passionate educator, and research scientist, Nicola is Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol where for the past 20 years she has led a programme of research into human-animal interactions. Her research focuses on the behaviour and wellbeing of animals, and their interactions with humans. She is particularly interested in working dog performance, and in developing ways of measuring, prioritising and improving the welfare of companion species especially rabbits and other exotic species. She has published extensively in academic journals as well as contributing to policy documents and Codes of Practice. Nicola is Programme Director for the MSc in Global Wildlife Health and Conservation, and has responsibility for curriculum design and quality control. She also she lectures on the Veterinary Nursing with Companion Animal Behaviour programme at Bristol Vet School. She has supervised and examined numerous postgraduate students, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Nicola has led the CCAB programme validation scheme since 2016. She believes strongly that the future of clinical animal behaviour depends on high quality, evidence-based education.