Project Supervisors

Vicky Sandilands

Vicky Sandilands is a senior behaviour and welfare scientist at Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), UK. Vicky did a Biology degree at the University of California (Santa Cruz), followed by an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare at the University of Edinburgh, and a PhD in Agriculture (laying hen behaviour) at the University of Glasgow. Her research focuses on how housing and management of laying hens and broilers can be improved while still being commercially applicable. Recent projects include welfare of laying hens housed in single or multi-tier free-range systems, foraging enrichments for laying hens, and how different scratch mat designs are used by hens in enriched cages. Vicky is former president of both the ISAE (International Society for Applied Ethology) and WPSA-UK branch (World's Poultry Science Association).

Vicky is leading Work Package 3 and is the scientist in charge of Project 14: Changes in sleep as a measure of stress in laying hens.