Emily Blackwell, PhD

Dr Emily Blackwell is baed at the Bristol Veterinary School where she explores the behaviours of companion animals including dogs, cats and rabbits. She is particularly interested in the development and treatment of behavioural disorders, such as separation anxiety, fear of loud noises and aggression and runs controlled clinical trials to determine the efficacy of novel therapies. She is also currently working on novel ways to assess the welfare in dogs and cats, using behavioural tests for measuring the optimism and pessimism and functional MRI scanning to observe brain patterns in awake dogs. Dr Blackwell has worked as an adviser and appeared as an expert contributor on several TV series, such as Channel 4's series 'Dogs: Their Secret Lives'. She also works with the pet industry on educational campaigns, training methods, toys and other pet products. She runs a world-leading longitudinal study of cats, called the Bristol Cats Study, which examines the health and welfare of cats from birth to older life. She is a Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CCAB).

Education
1998 - BSc Zoology, University of Leicester,
2008 - PhD Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol

Affiliations
Appointment to Council of Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB), Chair of ASAB Accreditation Committee and Director of ASAB Accreditation Committee Ltd, External Examiner for MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour at University of Edinburgh, Member of ASAB Accreditation Committee, External Examiner for MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour at University of Edinburgh