Scottish Animal Welfare Commission: member biographies

Professor Cathy Dwyer

Animal Behaviour and Welfare, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, SRUC

Cathy is head of the Animal Behaviour and Welfare Research Team in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Bioscience at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) in Edinburgh since 2011. Between 2016 and 2025 Professor Cathy Dwyer was also the Director of the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh. In 2026, with colleagues at SRUC, Cathy launched a new International Centre for Animal Welfare Science which works with universities overseas to improve animal welfare research and teaching. The work of the research team at SRUC addresses animal welfare problems and seeks solutions for all the major farmed species, and is one of the largest animal welfare research groups in Europe. Cathy’s own research interests include maternal behaviour, offspring development and neonatal survival, pain and the welfare of animals kept in extensive management conditions. Her work spans fundamental understanding of the biology of behaviour and stress to application in the field where she works closely with advisers and consultants to provide solutions to welfare problems. She has been involved in several interdisciplinary and participative research projects, which have engaged with farmers and other stakeholders to co-construct the project, address welfare problems and develop on farm solutions derived bottom-up. In 2013 Cathy was awarded the BSAS/RSPCA award for outstanding contribution to animal welfare and became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology in 2024. She was formerly a member of the EU Animal Welfare Platform, and provides scientific advice to several other Government, retailer and NGO organisations in animal welfare. In addition to undergraduate teaching, she teaches on the online programme in International Animal Welfare at SRUC, and is currently supervising seven PhD students, addressing welfare issues in sheep, poultry and horses. 

Dr Harvey Carruthers

Veterinary Surgeon

Harvey qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Glasgow University in 1990. He joined the Royal Army Veterinary Corps on graduation and worked as a Veterinary Officer both in the UK and abroad looking after dependant’s pets, working dogs and horses. His final post was at the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in Knightsbridge, London. He then worked at the Ministry of Defence for two years with responsibility for Biological Countermeasures, as point of contact with other MOD agencies, and NATO allies. On leaving the MOD Harvey entered veterinary general practice and has worked in over 20 practices, ranging from independent mixed practice to small animal corporate and charity practices. He has volunteered for, worked for, or been on the Board of Trustees for multiple animal welfare charities. He gained a Master’s in Business Administration in 2006, the dissertation for which analysed the macroeconomic effects on veterinary practice. He has a Master's degree in Buddhist ethics and philosophy, and gained a Certificate in small animal medicine in 2013. Harvey has published a book, The Gundog Veterinary Bible and has contributed to academic research relating to inherited disease in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and Staffordshire Bull Terriers. He was formerly Clinical Director of Perthshire’s largest veterinary practice. His clinical work was focussed on small animals, working with local and national charities and his Official Veterinary Surgeon role. He was previously CEO of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlander’s Museum and Trusts, an army veterans’ welfare and education charity. He is currently CEO of the Fife Young Carers charity. He has an MSc in International Animal Welfare, Law and Ethics.

Mike Radford

Reader in Animal Welfare Law and Public Law, University of Aberdeen

Mike established in 1992 at the University of East Anglia the first course in animal welfare law to be offered by a university law school in the UK (and, so far as he is aware, Europe). During the ensuing years, as well as contributing to the development of public policy, he has also sought to encourage and better equip those from other disciplines with relevant expertise but less familiarity with law and the political process also to become involved in evaluating and influencing policy relating to animals. Mike is presently a member of the governing council of Dogs Trust, Vice-Chair of the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW), Vice-Chair of the Humane Slaughter Association, a trustee of the UK Centre for Animal Law/Association of Lawyers for Animal Welfare (ALAW), Chair of ALAW’s Scottish Steering Committee, and a visiting lecturer at both Edinburgh and Glasgow Vet Schools. He was a founder member of both ALAW and the Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law Veterinary Association (AWSELVA). Amongst his previous positions, he has been a trustee of the PDSA, a member of the Companion Animal Welfare Council, Deputy Chair of the Advisory Council on the Welfare Issues of Dog Breeding, and a member of the RCVS Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law Board. Mike was appointed OBE in 2008 for services to animal welfare law.

Paula Boyden

Veterinary Surgeon.

Paula Boyden graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London in 1992. She spent 11 years in general practice, both mixed and latterly companion animal practice, before moving into a technical role in industry in 2003.

Paula joined Dogs Trust in 2010, where she was Veterinary Director until April 2025. In addition to veterinary matters, overseeing the veterinary care of the dogs within DTs 20 rehoming centres, her responsibilities included Dogs Trust’s outreach work (providing support for dogs belonging to victims fleeing domestic abuse, and care for dogs belonging to homeless people) and public affairs (working towards improved dog welfare legislation). 

Paula has a particular interest in the link between abuse of animals and abuse of people. She is current Chair of the Links Group charity and is regularly involved in veterinary undergraduate training on Non-Accidental Injury (NAI) within the UK veterinary schools.

Paula is a founder member and past treasurer of the Association of Charity Vets (now the Shelter and Charity Vet Association).  She is Chair of the Canine and Feline Sector group, sits on the RSPCA’s Prosecutions Oversight Panel and BVA's Policy Committee. Paula previously sat on the Wales Animal Health and Welfare Framework Group and has sat on working groups for the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA). 

Paula received BSAVA’s J A Wight Memorial Award for her contribution to the welfare of companion animals in 2017, the WSAVA's Global One Health Award in 2023 and BVA's Outstanding Service (Chiron) Award in 2024.

Professor Iain McKendrick

Statistician and Mathematical Modeller, Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS)

Iain is a statistician and mathematical modeller who has for many years specialised in applying quantitative methods to problems in animal health and welfare.  Within BioSS, a research institute devoted to developing and applying statistical and mathematical methods in the biological and agricultural sciences, he spent 22 years as the lead scientist for animal health and welfare applications.  Over this time he built extensive experience as a member of Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Bodies, both as a statistician concerned with the balance between scientific rigour and the ethics of animal use, and as a lay person.  He has developed statistical methods to retrospectively assess the culling of deer from the distribution of wound tracks in carcasses, has supported citizen-science driven efforts to better understand the consequences of tail docking legislation, and has sought to encourage uptake of statistical methods to actively establish a high prevalence of positive outcomes, as opposed to relying on methods which aim to establish an absence of negative outcomes, the latter generating much weaker results.

Iain was a member of the team which was initially funded in 2006 to form EPIC, the Scottish Government funded Centre of Expertise on animal disease outbreaks.  Recommissioned in 2011, 2016 and 2022, EPIC continues to support the work of Scottish Government in preparing for future incursions of exotic notifiable diseases; Iain is currently one of the co-directors running EPIC, with specific responsibility for Quantitative Innovation and Operations.  EPIC work has required extensive engagement with Scottish Government policy colleagues and with farmers and stakeholders.  For the past 8 years, Iain has had overall responsibility for all application-driven science carried out in BioSS, further developing his experience in applying, interpreting and assessing quantitative methods across different problems. Iain is currently a Visiting Professor in the School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, at the University of Glasgow.

Gilly Mendes Ferreira

Director of Strategic Communications & Partnership Engagement, Scottish SPCA

Gilly is a zoologist and highly experienced animal welfare leader, with more than 20 years at the Scottish SPCA. She holds a Master of Science by Research and specialises in the development of education, policy, and innovative programmes that improve animal welfare, with a particular focus on the link between animal and human wellbeing. A key part of her current role involves liaising with key stakeholders, including enforcement agencies, to support effective, collaborative approaches to animal welfare and protection. She also advises organisations across the UK and internationally on animal welfare policy and education.

Gilly has contributed to research and is published in the field of evaluating animal welfare intervention programmes, as well as the recognition of animal abuse by children and young people—and, importantly, how to respond effectively. She actively supports research students in advancing knowledge and best practice in the field.

She is Chair of the Board for Paws for Progress, a community interest company focused on delivering positive social impact through human–animal relationships. Gilly is a member of the One Welfare Phoenix Project Advisory Board, sits on the Scottish Government’s Responsible Dog Ownership Expert Advisory Group, and is a member of RZSS Animal Welfare Advisory Group, contributing her expertise to both national and international policy and practice.

Libby Anderson

Animal Welfare Policy Advisor

From 2015 to 2020 Libby was the Policy Advisor for OneKind (formerly Advocates for Animals) and was previously the charity’s Policy Director from 2006 to 2015. OneKind works to achieve improved legislation to protect all animals in Scotland, in areas such as animal sentience, wild animal welfare, welfare of farmed animals, breeding and sale of companion animals and the human-animal bond. Over the years, Libby has engaged with fellow stakeholders, officials and decision makers on legislation such as the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 and the Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (Scotland) Act 2018.

Libby worked for the Scottish SPCA from 1994 to 2004 and after that as a consultant for animal protection groups and Scottish local authorities. She was involved in founding the Cross-Party Group on Animal Welfare in the Scottish Parliament and acted as Secretary for several years. Currently, she is the Secretary of the Wild Animal Welfare Committee (WAWC) and a member of the Scottish steering group of the UK Centre for Animal Law (ALAW).

Professor Charlotte Burn

Professor in Animal Welfare and Behaviour Science at Royal Veterinary College (RVC)

Charlotte is a Professor in Animal Welfare and Behaviour Science at Royal Veterinary College (RVC), and Deputy Head of the Animal Welfare Science and Ethics group there. She set up RVC’s BSc in 'Animal Biology, Behaviour, Welfare and Ethics', which she has led since 2014, and which is accredited by the Royal Society of Biology.

Charlotte's research interests include understanding animal emotions and perceptions, and how to work with people to make real world improvements to animal welfare. Some of her most notable publications have explored animal boredom as a biological concept, how human demand for extreme body shapes in animals affects their quality of life, sentience in decapod crustaceans, and the sensory experiences of laboratory animals. Her background is in biology, having gained a BA in Biological Sciences at the University of Oxford, and specialising via an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare from the University of Edinburgh. Her D.Phil. on laboratory rat welfare was at the University of Oxford.

Charlotte was awarded UFAW's prize for early career animal welfare scientists in 2012. She was the RVC Local Lead for the UK Reproducibility Network, which aims to improve the robustness of UK research 2020-2023. She was also a trustee of the BVA's Animal Welfare Foundation charity for two terms of service from 2019 to 2025.

Dr Pete Goddard

Veterinary Surgeon

Pete is a veterinary surgeon and recognized EBVS European veterinary specialist in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law. He is also a Diplomate of the European College of Small Ruminant Health Management. Until retirement, he was a senior manager at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen where he is now an Honorary Fellow. He headed the Institute’s Ecological Sciences Group. This comprised around 85 scientific research and support staff and, in addition, a variable number of short-term visitors from around the world and at any one time around 30 PhD students based at the Institute and sponsoring departments. His particular interest has always been animal welfare, focusing especially on welfare in ruminants under extensive systems of management and the health and welfare of wild and semi-managed animals. He has published more than 70 scientific papers, many based on multi-partner collaborations, and has authored 10 book chapters, most recently in the latest edition of Livestock Handling and Transport edited by Temple Grandin and in Animal Welfare in Extensive Systems edited by Juan Villalba. For many years he was a member of the Editorial Board of Applied Animal Behaviour Science and regularly reviews articles for AABS and other journals. In addition to conducting research, he had responsibility for animal health at the Institute’s research farms in Scotland.

Pete has been Chair of the Animal Welfare Science Ethics and Law Veterinary Association (AWSELVA), President of the North of Scotland division of the British Veterinary Association and President of the Veterinary Deer Society (now the British Deer Veterinary Association). For 6 years he was a trustee of the Animal Welfare Foundation and remains a member of their funding panel. For a number of years he was external examiner in both Animal Life and the Certificate of Advanced Veterinary Practice in animal welfare science, ethics and law at the Dick Vet. School in Edinburgh.  For ten years he chaired the Wild Animal Welfare Committee (WAWC) and remains a Trustee. 

Dr Ellie Wigham

Senior lecturer in Veterinary Public Health, University of Glasgow.

Ellie is a senior lecturer in Veterinary Public Health at the School of Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow.

She graduated from the University of Cambridge Vet school in 2015 having also completed an intercalated degree in experimental psychology. She then moved to New Zealand to work for the Ministry of Primary Industries, conducting official controls in a red meat slaughter facility. After one year she moved back to the UK to undertake a PhD at the University of Bristol exploring the impacts of welfare training in red and white meat slaughter facilities. Alongside her PhD she also began a residency in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law as part of the European College of Animal Welfare and Behaviour Medicine. She passed the final exams in 2022 to become a European Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law.

She joined the University of Glasgow in 2019 and alongside teaching veterinary students is involved in a range of welfare-based projects, both as a researcher and student supervisor. Her main research interests include animal welfare at slaughter and killing, and the use of technology for automatic monitoring of welfare indicators.

Dr Andrew Kitchener

Principal Curator of Vertebrates at the National Museum of Scotland

Dr Andrew Kitchener is the Principal Curator of Vertebrates at National Museums Scotland, where has been carrying out research into the welfare impacts of captivity on zoo animals related to activity, nutrition and skeletal pathologies. He has also been active in developing novel methods of environmental enrichment for captive mammals, including killer whales, bears and fruit bats. Andrew is a member of the Animal Welfare and Ethics Group of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and the Animal Welfare Committee of the Zoological Society of Scotland. He also has strong links to the conservation community as Chair of the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, Chair of the Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Plan Steering Group, member of the IUCN Cat Specialist and Equid Specialist Groups. He is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh and an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Glasgow.

 

Dr Ben Sturgeon

Veterinary Surgeon

Dr. Ben Sturgeon BSc BVM&S Cert E.P. Cert E.S.M. BAEDT DPMSA, is a qualified veterinary surgeon with over 20 years in academia, clinical practice, and global animal welfare, and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Crustacean Compassion. Previously Global Director of Veterinary Programmes at SPANA (Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad), he has driven initiatives enhancing working animal health, humane education, and emergency responses across Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Author of multiple peer-reviewed publications, Ben advocates for empirical ethics following sentience recognition and humane standards through a One Health framework.  His expertise informs UK government and industry efforts on ethical animal practices.