Lecturer and Course Manager 

Jessica has a Master of Research from the University of Chester and ten years of academic and industry research experience. She is the former Chair of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) Animal Welfare Working Group (2016-2022) and co-editor of the BIAZA Animal Welfare Toolkit, which provides welfare theory, audit tools and guidelines for the welfare assessment of animals in managed care. Jessica is also a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) Research Committee, a section editor for the Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research (JZAR), and an advisor to the Amur Leopard EEP Species Committee. In addition, she is the author of several peer-reviewed publications and the recently published book chapter ‘Behavioural biology in animal collection planning and conservation’ in Rose (2023) Behavioural Biology of Zoo Animals. Jessica is also interested in equine behaviour and welfare, and her research includes the development of protocols for welfare assessment in free-roaming horses. Jessica is committed to developing tools, resources and training that enable practical and reliable evaluation of the welfare of intensively and extensively managed animals.