Day Teixeira

Career Overview

I am a Senior Lecturer (Research) in Animal Science since 2022. I completed a BSc in Agricultural Engineer at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC, Brazil), with my final year placement at University of British Columbia (UBC) Animal Welfare Programme (Canada). I also completed an MSc in Agroecossistems at UFSC (Brazil), where I focused my research on water supply for dairy cows, and a PhD in Animal Production at Universidad de Zaragoza (Spain), evaluating the association between welfare and meat quality of lambs.

My passion for farm animal behaviour and welfare gave me the opportunity to carry out postdoctoral, teaching and research experiences in Brazil, Canada, Spain, Republic of Ireland, Chile and United Kingdom. In these experiences, I developed and managed research projects involving different farm animal species, including sheep, pigs and cattle, while using interdisciplinary approaches to improve the life of food-producing animals and to improve the sustainability of livestock production systems.

Teaching and supervision

• Programme Manager for MSc/MRes in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare
• Co-Programme Manager for MRes in Animal Science
• Module Leader for Contemporary Issues in Animal Welfare Science (PG level)
• Module Leader for Applied Animal Welfare Assessment (PG level)
• Module team member for Foundation Animal Studies (UG level)
• Module team member for Industry Reflection in Agricultural Practice (UG level)
• Module team member for Skills Development for Agriculture (UG level)
• Supervising PhD, masters and undergraduate level projects

Research interests

My main research interests centre around application of farm animal behaviour to improve animal welfare and to evaluate the influence of the environment and management on farm animal behaviour and welfare. My recent research activities are focused on water supply for dairy cows, considering the urgency and complexities surrounding water availability under the climate change scenario; and also on understanding the complexity of farm animals sleeping behaviour and how commercial conditions affect it.

In my previous experiences, I focused my research on different aspects related to the assessment of animal behaviour and welfare on farm, during transport and at the abattoir; the evaluation of risk factors for animal welfare under commercial conditions; the association between animal welfare and productive traits; and using qualitative analysis to understand the attitudes, beliefs, and values of livestock sector stakeholders and citizens regarding animal production systems and animal welfare.

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