The Animal Science program offers opportunities for advanced study and research in the areas of physiology, nutrition, biochemistry, behaviour, welfare, genetics and the management of livestock, poultry, aquaculture and wildlife species.

Students interested in improving the lives of animals have the opportunity to complete a M.Sc. or Ph.D. through the UBC Animal Welfare Program. The UBC Animal Welfare Program is one of the largest and most respected centres in the world in the field of animal welfare science. Since its inception in 1997, the Program's research has led to improvements in the lives of animals in British Columbia and around the world. The mission of the program is to improve the welfare and humane care of animals in agriculture, research, companionship and other areas through active efforts in research, education and public outreach. For additional information view the UBC Animal Welfare website.
 

• Faculty Members and their Research
• Research Facilities
• Collaborations and Cross-Campus Links
• Recent Research Thesis Topics
• Career Paths of Graduates

Faculty Members and their Research

Cerri, Ronaldo: Effects of nutrition, management, behaviour and welfare, and pharmacological control of the estrous cycle on the reproduction of dairy cattle

Farrell, Anthony: Cardiorespiratory physiology, digestive physiology, aquaculture

Fraser, David: Animal welfare, ethics of animal use, applied animal behaviour

McKinley, Scott: Salmon lice, environmental impact, fish stress, physiology, sustainable aquaculture

Rajamahendran, Raja: NOT accepting new students - Reproductive biology, reproductive efficiency in cattle, markers to predict fertility in cattle, genes associated with fertility in cattle

Samuels, Susan: Nutrition, protein metabolism, biotechnology, gastrointestinal tract, stress, cancer, chemotherapy, infection, starvation, skeletal muscle

Sullivan, Tom: Biodiversity, conservation, agroecosystems, wildlife

Thompson, James: NOT accepting new students - Regulation of protein synthesis and degradation, amino acid metabolism, avian and mammalian models, cell culture, organ incubation and whole animal models

Von Keyserlingk, Marina: Graduate Advisor; Animal Welfare

Weary, Dan: Animal welfare, animal ethics

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Research Facilities

• Aquaculture Facilities: The 2,500 sq.-metre facility consists of wet and dry labs and an extensive system of water-containing vessels for fish rearing and research, as well as a wharf to dock large vessels. There are three separate water sources: seawater, surface water and groupwater, which are exploited by the extensive water extraction, treatment and delivery systems.
   
• Avian Research Centre is comprised of the Poultry Research Centre and the Quail Genetic Stock Centre. Located in Agassiz, B.C.
   
• Dairy Education and Research Centre. This Centre is unique in Canada and is one of the largest in the world and provides state-of-the-art research facilities for developing and adapting new technologies relevant to the dairy industry. This facility contains 300 free-stalls, a 24-cow milking parlor, office, laboratory and public reception areas. It helps meet the Faculty’s expanding programs in large animal nutrition, reproduction and behavior/welfare.

For additional details review the Faculty research facilities.

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Collaborations and Cross-Campus Links

Adjunct Professors & Associates:

• Karen Beucheimen, Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Lethbridge);Nutrition Adjunct Professor, UBC
• Shabti Bittman, Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, (PARC Agassiz) - Agronomy; Adjunct Professor, UBC
• J. E. Elliott, Canadian Wildlife Service
• D. A. Higgs, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• J. A. Love, Director, UBC Animal Care Centre
• B. N. McLellan, BC Ministry of Forests
• Anne Marie de Passillé, Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Adjunct Professor, UBC, Animal Welfare and Behaviour
• Jeff Rushen, Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Adjunct Professor, UBC, Animal Welfare and Behaviour
• Doug Veira, Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kamloops, BC;Adjunct Professor, UBC, Animal Nutrition and Behaviour

The program is enriched through collaboration with colleagues in programs such as Food Science, Human Nutrition, Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Zoology, as well as agencies such as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada Department of Fisheries and Ocean, Canadian Wildlife Service, the SPCA and various provincial government agencies.

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Recent Research Thesis Topics

• A survey of wildlife rehabilitation goals, impediments issues, and success in British Columbia
• Physiological effects of acute exposure to thermomechanical newsprint mill effluent on adult atlantic salmon (salmomo salarl.) from exploits river, Newfoundland, Canada
• Assessing the Physiological Impact of Sea Lice (Lepeophtheirus Salmonis Kroyer) On Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar L.)
• Ovarian Follicular Dynamics, LH Profiles, Corpus Luteum Function and Pregnancy, Following two Ovulation Synchronization/Timed Artificial Insemination Protocols
• The effects of freestall surfaces and geometry on dairy cattle behaviour
• Mechanisms underlying the decline of mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in British Columbia
• The role of the Animal Ethics Committee in Achieving Humane Animal Experimentation
• Investigating reduced rate of nitrogen application and delayed harvest of orchard grass as a means of reducing the amount and altering the form of nitrogen ingested by lactating dairy cattle
• The effects of In Ovo and Early Post-Hatch DDT Exposure on American Robins from the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
• Enhancement of the Non-Specific Immune Response, Pigmentation of Growth of Farmed Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) Fed a Combination of Dietary Flavonoids (Grape Seed Extract, KPA) and Astaxanthin
• Sulphate salts affect water consumption drinking behaviour and welfare of beef cattle
• How Cows Lie Down: A 3-D Kinematic Evaluation of the Lying Down Behaviour of Holstein Dairy Cows
• Development of hoof pathologies in dairy cows with and without access to pasture

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Career Paths of Graduates

Graduates of the animal science program have pursued academic positions at universities or colleges, research positions at universities and government institutions, consultant positions, or careers in animal-related fields including veterinary medicine, the animal feed manufacturing industry, wildlife rehabilitation, and others.