Kate Lewis

I am currently a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Medical Research Council, studying animal welfare and the use of AI to automate the collection of welfare data. Prior to this I was a Teaching Fellow in Psychology at the University of Portsmouth, having completed my PhD in Animal Behaviour and Welfare there in 2023. My PhD explored the link between an animal's innate behavioural needs and the likelihood of them developing stereotypic behaviours in captivity, with a particular focus on the role of social behaviour and how its restriction may result in stereotypies.

My research interests centre around behaviour and welfare, and understanding the predictors of poor welfare across a captive animal's lifetime. I am fascinated by stereotypic behaviours, what causes them to develop, and the long-term impacts they have on the animal. I am also interested in equine social behaviour and communication, particularly facial behaviour.