April 18, 2022

Roslin scientist recognised for animal welfare research

The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) has attributed the Early Career Animal Welfare Researcher of the Year Award to Dr. Jessica Martin, senior lecturer in physiology and animal welfare at the Roslin Institute and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.

The award recognises Dr. Martin's substantive contributions to animal welfare through research, education, legislative and institutional policy and real-world impact.

Dr. Martin's research primarily aims to minimise or eliminate suffering relating  to the end of life of animals.

She was also the co-inventor of a novel technology, known as Livetec Nex, which improves efficiency and welfare outcomes compared with traditional methods for the killing of individual birds on-farm. Her design was named "New Product of the Year" by Poultry Business Magazine in 2020 and widely adopted by industry in association with its Red Tractor compliance.

Additionally, Dr. Martin was also the deputy lead of an international research team carrying out ground-breaking welfare assessment of Low Atmospheric Pressure Stunning (LAPS) in poultry and was instrumental in an application to the European Commission to allow the use of LAPS in poultry, resulting in its addition to EU law in 2018 (EU Directive Amendment 2018/723). She is now taking this technology into other species both in farm and laboratory settings.

The UFAW prize, which recognises the achievements of early career scientists who have made significant contributions to improving the welfare of animals, has been jointly awarded to Dr. Martin and Dr. Nienke van Staaveren from the University of Guelph, Canada, in recognition of their impactful work and breadth of experience covering a range of species and topics.

"Both van Staaveren and Dr. Martin impressed the panel with their commitment to improving animal welfare on a large scale, their ability to engage and work with a wide range of stakeholders and their scientific expertise," said Dr. Huw Golledge, chief executive and scientific director of UFAW. "They are also both strongly committed to supporting the next generations of scientists through supervision and mentoring of students, something UFAW values highly."

- Roslin Institute