My primary focus is understanding the biology of positive animal welfare (PAW) using behaviour as a starting point but also using other disciplines and techniques as applicable including physiology, neurobiology, molecular biology and genetics. At the conceptual level, I am interested in the various ideas that are included within PAW such as positive emotions and happiness in animals (Lawrence et al., 2019).  Our conceptual work on PAW links to social science research where we try and understand different perspectives of PAW as a way of better targeting improvements to PAW in practice (e.g. Vigors and Lawrence, 2019). 

Experimentally we use different approaches to study PAW and positive experiences in animals including studies of play behaviour (e.g. Brown et al., 2015) and the use of environmental enrichment to enhance animal environments (e.g. Brown et al., 2017). Our work also includes the use of ‘rat tickling’ which has been proposed as an approach to induce positive emotions (e.g. Bombail et al., 2019; Hammond et al., 2019). We currently have a NC3Rs grant to refine approaches for rat tickling to improve welfare (https://www.nc3rs.org.uk/our-portfolio/refinement-tickling-protocols-improve-positive-animal-welfare-laboratory-rats). 

An important element of our work is to understand the relationship between the conditions under which animals are managed and their brain health. Brain health as a concept has been largely confined to humans and refers to how the brain copes with challenges such as old age and neuro-degenerative diseases. However, much of what we know about brain health comes from animal studies and there is increasing evidence that the concept of brain health also has considerable significance to animal health and welfare.  We have found evidence of positive effects from short and longer-term exposure to enrichment in grower pigs on brain development and health (see Brown et al., 2017 and Brown et al., 2018). We are currently analysing the effects of early life enrichment on brain development in piglets using a variety of measurement approaches including MRI.

See also our newly launched web-site aimed at promoting understanding of the science behind positive animal welfare (https://www.positiveanimalwelfare.net/). 

My current collaborators include Vincent Bombail, Emma Baxter, Francoise Wemelsfelder, Kenny Rutherford, Simon Turner, Cathy Dwyer, Lesley Jessiman, Sam Beechener (SRUC); Sarah Brown, Simone Meddle, Neil Mabbott (Roslin); Peter Kind, Raven Hickson, Gerry Thompson (University of Edinburgh); Mike Mendl, Emma Robinson (University of Bristol); Jess Martin (University of Newcastle); Peter Sandoe (University of Copenhagen); Ruth Newberry (Norwegian University of Life Sciences); Marek Spinka (Czeck University of Life Sciences). 

Professor of Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh. Professor Lawrence is an established international expert in animal behaviour and welfare. He carried out his PhD on sheep social behaviour under the supervision of Professor David Wood-Gush (an early founder of animal welfare science) before building a team of researchers focusing on the application of animal behaviour to interpret and improve animal welfare in a range of farm species. His past research interests have included the aetiology of stereotypic behaviour, the measurement of stress and negative emotional states, the role of early experience in neonatal development and welfare, the genetics of behavioural traits and young peoples’ perceptions of animal welfare.  Since stepping down as Head of the Animal & Veterinary Science Group (SRUC) in 2014 he has been working on positive animal welfare including conceptual work and experimental research on play behaviour and environmental enrichment. More recently, he has begun work on the concept of brain health and the relevance of this to animal health and welfare. 

I regard teaching as an essential aspect of an academic career. I have taught throughout my career at undergraduate and postgraduate levels to a mixture of students from biological, agricultural and veterinary courses. I am a co-founder of the internationally recognised MSc in Applied Animal & Welfare at Edinburgh which has been running successfully in Edinburgh since 1990. 

Recently completed and current PhD projects: 

‘Assessing and understanding causes of play in calves’ joint with University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna and Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (2018-2022).
‘Rat tickling as a model to understand and improve positive welfare in confined animals’ joint with INRAE, Paris and The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh (2018-2022). 
‘Neurological correlates of rat tickling’ joint with The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh (2018-2021).
‘Effects of early play on later resilience in rats’ joint with the University of Edinburgh (2019-2023). 
‘Practical diets to improve dry sow welfare: improving satiety and reducing gastric ulcers’ with Edinburgh University (2019-2023). 

'Behavioural and neuroscience based studies to advance understanding of intra-uterine growth retardation in pigs with University of Eedinburgh (2023-2030). 

2020 awarded by the BBSRC in support of research to operationalise social competence to improve the welfare of pigs £686k 

2021 awarded by NC3Rs to support research to refine rat tickling as an approach to improve animal welfare £333k

2022 awarded by Scottish Government to support research to improve positive animal welfare and sustainability £569k

2022 awarded by Scottish Government to support research to understand challenges and opportunties for animal welfare posed by EU-exit £430k