Who We Are
We facilitate the well-being of animals using sound science and ethics to investigate and promote the best animal care and management practices.
Director: Candace Croney, Ph.D. Faculty Graduate Students & Postdoctoral Researchers
Steering Committee
- Candace Croney, Director and Professor of Animal Behavior and Well-being
- Marissa Erasmus, Associate Professor of Animal Sciences
- Darrin Karcher, Associate Professor of Animal Sciences
- Nicole Widmar, Professor, Associate Head, and Graduate Chair of Agricultural Economics
Colleen Brady, Ph.D
Professor, Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication
Research Interests: Human behaviors that impact animal welfare (specifically equine) and how we can design interventions to alter human behavior to enhance animal welfare.
Luiz F. Brito, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Animal Sciences
Research Intersts: Quantitative Genetics and Genomics.
Heng-wei Cheng, Ph.D.
Adjunct Associate Professor, Animal Sciences
Research Biologist - USDA-ARS Livestock Behavior Research Unit
Research Interests: brain functioning in regulating stress response in farm animals, especially poultry, pain in farm animals, use of probiotics and synbiotics for improving animal well-being, modification of caging environments to improve hen well-being, and prenatal modification of neurotransmitter system for reducing aggression.
Candace Croney, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Animal Welfare Science
Professor of Animal Behavior and Well-being
Associate Vice Provost for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging
Research Interests: cognition; companion and agricultural animal welfare; enrichment; animal bioethics; public perceptions of animal agriculture.
Emily Curry, DVM
Clinical Assistant Professor, Shelter Medicine and Surgery
Research Interests: shelter medicine and surgery; public interest/social/ethical/economic issues relative to animal welfare; Interface between human-animal bond and animal welfare
Amanda Darbyshire, DVM, DACLAM
Clinical Assistant Professor; Assistant Director of Clinical Medicine, Office of the Executive Vice President for Research
Research Interests: laboratory animal medicine and welfare; gnotobiotics
Nancy Edwards, Ph.D., ANP, NP
Professor of Nursing
Director, AGNP Program
Research Interests: adult nursing; gerontology; development of non-pharmacologic care protocols for neuroprogressive disease patients.
Kari J. Ekenstedt, DVM, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Anatomy and Genetics
Research Interests: Companion Animal Genetics
Marisa Erasmus, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Extension Specialist
Research Interests: Animal Well-Being
Esteban Fernandez-Juricic, Ph.D.
Professor of Biological Sciences
Research Interests: animal behavior, visual ecology, visual physiology, conservation ecology
Greg Fraley, Ph.D.
Terry & Sandra Tucker Endowed Chair, Poultry Science/Associate Professor, Animal Sciences
Research Interests: Poultry neuroendocrinology and welfare
Darrin Karcher, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Animal Sciences, Poultry Extension Specialist
Research Interests: the impact of moving poultry to new housing systems in the table egg industry factoring in the management challenges, food safety implications and hen well-being.
Heather Neave, PH.D.
Assistant Professor of Animal Science
Research Interests: behavior, welfare and management of dairy cattle.
Leanne Nieforth, MS, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Human-Animal Bond
Research Interests: human-animal interactions
Niwako Ogata, B.V.Sc., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Animal Behavior
Research Interests: pursuing mental health and well-being in companion animals; translational research between the human psychiatric field and veterinary behavior.
Jessica Pempek, PH.D.
Associate Professional; Animal Research Specialist, USDA-ARS Livestock Behavior Research Unit
Research Interests: integration of aspects of applied ethology, epidemiology, physiology, and sociology to enhance the welfare of dairy and beef animals, particularly in early life
Corinne Renguette, PH.D.
Associate Professor, Site Director Purdue Polytechnic
Research Interests: Assessment of educational technologies, Patient education, Health communication/health literacy, Industry/academic collaborations, Scholarship of teaching and learning; Language acquisition & literacy, discourse studies
Allan Schinckel, Ph.D., M.S.
Professor of Animal Sciences
Research Interests: breeding, genetics, and growth of swine.
Hsin-Yi Weng, B.V.M., M.P.H., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Clinical/Analytical Epidemiology
Research Interests: epidemiologic methods and their applications to human-animal interaction studies and animal welfare sciences
Nicole Olynk Widmar, Ph.D.
Professor and Associate Head, and Graduate Chair of Agricultural Economics
Research Interests: farm business management; on-farm decision making; integrating consumer demand for livestock housing and handling practices into production decisions
Kaitlin Wurtz, PH.D.
Associate Professional, Animal Research Specialist, USDA-ARS Livestock Behavior Research Unit
Research Interests: optimizing welfare for food producing animals; poultry, swine, applied ethology, animal welfare science, precision livestock farming, behavioral genetics
Alan Beck, Sc.D.
Professor Emeritus of Animal Ecology
Research Interests: Human-animal bond; urban animal ecology; animal companionship; the effects of animal use for therapy.
Janice Kritchevsky, V.M.D., M.S.
Professor Emeritus, Large Animal Medicine
Research Interests: equine endocrinology and equine geriatric medicine; the welfare implications of chronic laminitis and other lameness in horses
Meagan Abraham, DVM
Graduate Student
Advisor: Darrin Karcher
Research interests: Poultry management and welfare
SHANIS BARNARD, PH.D.
Research Program Manager
Advisor: Candace Croney
Research interests: Dog behavior, cognition and welfare of human-animal relationship
Nayan Bhowmik, DVM
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Advisor: Kari Ekenstedt
Research interests: Companion animal genetics, livestock genetics
Jeanna Blake
Ph.D. Student
Advisor: Kari Ekenstedt
Research interests: Companion animal genetics
Yiru Dong
M.S. Student
Advisor: Marisa Erasumus
Research interests: Animal behavior and well-being
Brittney Emmert
Graduate Student
Advisor: Darrin Karcher
Research interests: Poultry management and welfare
Torey Fischer
Graduate Student
Advisor: Darrin Karcher
Research interests: Poultry management and welfare
Yuechi Fu
Graduate Student
Advisor: Heng-wei Cheng
Research interests: Animal behavior and well-being
Jiaying Hu
Ph.D. Student
Advisor: Heng-wei Cheng
Research interests: Animal behavior and well-being
Tobi Ogunribido
Graduate Student
Advisor: Kolapo Ajuwon
Esther Oluwagbenga
Ph.D. Student
Advisor: Greg Fraley
Research interests: Strategies for managing heat stress in poultry production
Kayla Pasteur
Graduate Student
Advisor: Candace Croney
Research interests: Dog behavior and welfare
Huan Qu
Ph.D. Student
Advisor: Kolapo Ajuwon
Research interests: Adipose biology
Jenna Schober
Ph.D. Student
Advisor: Greg Fraley
Research interests: Environmental enrichment and its effects on animal behavior and well-being.
Derico Setyabrata
Ph.D. Student
Advisor: Brad Kim
Research interests: Meat science
Sunhye Shin
Ph.D. Student
Advisor: Kolapo Ajuwon
Research interests: Adipose biology
Victoria Tetel
M.S. Student
Advisor: Greg Fraley
Research interests:
Taylor Thompson
Graduate Student
Advisor: Nicole Widmar
Research interests: Consumer/producer relations in modern agriculture
Weichao Wang
Ph.D. Student
Advisor: Heng-wei Cheng
Research interests: Animal behavior and well-being
Hui Wen
Graduate Student
Advisor: Luiz F. Brito
Research interests: Livestock genetics and breeding: Animal welfare
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