People and organisations we work with
We have several ongoing research projects with the Colorado Anthrozoology Lab at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, USA. Directed by Dr. Michael Kisley, the lab explores human-animal relationships through the lens of human psychology, with a particular focus on beliefs about animals’ emotional lives and how these beliefs shape people’s attitudes, interactions, and decisions concerning animals.
Most of our lab members participate in the COST Action AFFECT-EVO, contributing to collaborative projects on animal emotions. Our involvement centres on Working Group 2 (WG2), particularly its educational activities aimed at improving understanding of animal emotions. Also, Dr. Rusu serves as MC member representing Romania.
Our lab is connected to the COST Action LIFT—Lifting Farm Animal Lives through the participation of our coordinator, Prof. Alina S. Rusu. LIFT brings together researchers and stakeholders to advance understanding and assessment of positive welfare in farm animals. Prof. Rusu participates in the COST project as MC member representing Romania, and as a member in Working Group 1 (WG1), which focuses on defining and clarifying the key concepts of positive animal welfare.
BEACON—Building Education and One Health with Adaptive Convergence and Open Networks is a COST Action focused on advancing health education for secondary-school students across Europe. It brings together researchers, educators, and other stakeholders to develop educational resources, support teacher training, and engage students with One Health, wellbeing, and community health.
We collaborate with professionals working in behavioural veterinary medicine at the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Italy, including Prof. Danila D’Angelo, Dr. Luigi Sacchettino, and PhD Candidate Viviana Orsola Giuliano. Their clinical and research activities address animal behaviour, welfare, and human–animal interactions. The department’s Behavioural Medicine Service provides multidisciplinary behavioural assessment, prevention, and therapy for companion animals, considering both the animal and its relationship with its human caregiver.
AEDC—Anthrozoology Education Dogs Canines is an educational initiative founded and directed by our lab member Marco Adda. It supports professionals working with people and animals through education on animal behaviour, human–animal relationships, and canine welfare. Marco’s interdisciplinary work connects anthrozoology and ethology with psychology, anthropology, somatics, and the performing arts, bringing diverse perspectives to understanding the lives of people and animals.
We collaborate with Dr. Rebecca Nordquist, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Her work focuses on animal cognition, emotions, and farm animal welfare, alongside interdisciplinary education and community engagement. As a working group leader in the COST Action AFFECT-EVO, she brings together researchers and societal partners to explore the wider implications of understanding animals’ affective states.
We collaborate with Prof. Lee Dugatkin, Professor of Biology and Distinguished University Scholar at the University of Louisville, USA. An evolutionary biologist, animal behaviour researcher, and historian of science, his work explores the evolution of cooperation, altruism, and social behaviour, including cultural transmission in non-human animals. His research and writing connect the study of animal behaviour with broader questions about evolution and the history of scientific thought. Dr. Dugatkin was invited on several occasions to speak at scientific events organized by our University.
