By way of an introduction, here is Kirstin in her own words:-
During a gap year spent working as an international show
jumping groom I developed a keen interest in equine behaviour and modern
training methods. This led me to complete a Masters in Zoology at the
University of Glasgow which further widened my interest into the behaviour and
welfare of other of domesticated species. I joined the Animal Behaviour and
Welfare team at SRUC as a research assistant shortly after graduating, where I
spent 14 years, initially working with Prof. Cathy Dwyer on a transgenerational
study of maternal behaviour and neonatal development in sheep. This study
required training Scottish Blackface sheep to stand still for regular
ultrasound scan measurements to be made, which tested all of my experience
working with flighty prey species as well as most of my patience!
I worked with a huge variety of species during my time at
SRUC as well as the animal production systems in which they are kept. I
provided technical assistance and experimental management on many projects
including the development of welfare indicators, out wintering beef cattle,
factors influencing pig aggression and investigating the role of maternal care
on positive welfare.
With a particular interest in non-invasive means of data
collection (such as the use of sensors to monitor welfare) my attention has
followed the role new technologies can bring and how we manage data collected
from them, which focussed me on improving the efficiency of data collection as
well as promoting high standards of data management at SRUC.
I have been involved in supporting students with their own
research projects for many years and look forward to sharing my wide range of
experience and my enthusiasm for high standards of practical research practices
in my new role as MSc Co-ordinator.
A warm welcome to Kirstin, we all look forward to working with you.
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