dr. LE (Laura) Webb

Laura is an applied ethologist working as assistant professor at the Animal Production Systems group and specialised in understanding, assessing and promoting positive emotion and happiness (i.e. cumulative affect) mainly in farmed mammals (cows, pigs and sheep) but also invertebrates such as farmed insects (crickets) and bivalves (mussels). Laura and her team draw inspiration from human psychology to identifiy non-verbal indicators of positive emotion and happiness, which might be used in other mammals and even invertebrates. These behavioural, cognitive and neurophysiological indicators are then tested for their potential in other mammals, by applying construct validity. Indicators that we are currently validating include play behaviour and tail posture as indicators of joy in pigs. They are moreover developing computer vision and bioaccoustic techniques to help identify and behavioural score animals. Finally, Laura's team evaluate various farming procedures, such as cow-calf contact, new feeding strategies, 'enrichment' practices or the use of agrivoltaics, for their impact on positive states on animals.

Laura's team focuses currently on the following animals: calves (in collaboration with Teagasc, Ireland), dairy cows, fattening pigs, lambs (in collaboration with INRAe, France), but also crickets (in collaboration with the Entomology group) and mussels (in collaboration with the Marine Animal Ecology group).

Laura is the vice chair of the EU COST Action ‘Lifting farm animal lives - laying the foundations for positive animal welfare'.

Laura has various leadership roles in the European Partnership for Animal Health and Welfare.

https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA21124/

Laura is the creator and coordinator of the PhD course ‘Fundamentals of animal emotion’.

https://www.wur.nl/en/research-results/chair-groups/animal-sciences/clu…