Director Appointed to Animal Welfare Centre

An animal welfare expert has been appointed to head a centre that aims to improve the well-being of animals worldwide.

Professor Natalie Waran will take up the post of Director of the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education at the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in March 2011.

Animal welfare focal point

I was delighted to learn about the creation of this new International Centre and am very much looking forward to the opportunity to lead its development and to help this impressive initiative to fulfil its considerable potential.

The centre aims to create a focal point for animal welfare education across the globe, establishing new veterinary courses as well as collaborating with international partners to improve understanding of animal welfare issues.

The appointment will mark a return to Edinburgh for Professor Waran, who worked at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies for 14 years until 2004. During this time, she was a senior lecturer and also championed the Masters course in applied animal welfare and behaviour.

She is currently based at the Unitec Institute of Technology in New Zealand where she is Professor of Animal Welfare, Head of the Department of Natural Sciences and Associate Dean (Research) for the Faculty of Social and Health Sciences.

The Centre has been established with a £2 million donation from the Marchig Animal Welfare Trust.

It will engage with politicians and governments with the aim of improving animal welfare and seeking alternatives to the use of animals in research.

The Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education aims to raise awareness of issues relating to animal welfare and the role that veterinarians can play in promoting it. Professor Waran has considerable experience in the field of animal welfare and we are delighted to welcome her back to Edinburgh