Projects

Active Projects:

• Are cognitive effects derived from an early-life barren environment reversible? An integrative approach in pigs to understand neuro-epigenetic reversibility? Collaborative project funded by FORMAS (Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development) involving Uppsala University, Polish Academy of Sciences and The Roslin Institute (Alistair Lawrence and Sarah M Brown Co-Is). 
• FitPig: Enhancing Gut Health and Welfare of Finishing Pigs: The Role of Physical Activity and Inclusion of Hay in the Diet. Collaborative project funded by The Research Council of Norway involving the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aarhus University (Denmark) and The Roslin Institute (Alistair Lawrence and Sarah M Brown Co-Is).
• Developing light-sheet microscopy for quantification of brain markers of resilience in the pig. Roslin Institute Pump-priming grant (Alistair Lawrence, Sarah M Brown, Xavier Donadeu, Agnieszka Futro (SRUC), and Cristina Martinez Gonzalez and Kirsty Craigie (Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences). 
• Cerebral and behavioural lateralisation in animal emotions: implications for translational research. Collaborative project funded by The National Science Centre, Poland involving the Polish Academy of Sciences, SRUC and The Roslin Institute (Sarah M Brown Co-I; Agnieszka Futro (SRUC)).
• On the move: How do horses perceive road transportation? Collaborative project funded by World Horse Welfare involving SRUC and the R(D)SVS (Sarah M Brown Co-I).
• A One Welfare approach to understanding workplace-associated grief in veterinary nurses and its impact on animal welfare in clinics. R(D)SVS AHW cluster Pump-priming grant (Sarah M Brown PI). 

Recently Completed Projects:

• Refinement of tickling protocols to improve positive animal welfare in laboratory rats. Funded by NC3Rs involving SRUC (Alistair Lawrence, Vincent Bombail, Catalina Gonzalez), The Roslin Institute (Sarah M Brown, Simone Meddle), The University of Bristol (Mike Mendl, Emma Robinson). 
• The welfare impacts of infectious diseases in the pig. Funded by PIC (The Pig Improvement Company) and involving SRUC (Alistair Lawrence, Catalina Gonzalez) and The Roslin Institute (Sarah M Brown).
• Priming the development of an interdisciplinary Edinburgh centre of excellence in pig neuroimmune research supporting agricultural, animal bioscience and human translational medicine applications. Funded by the Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF3; Wellcome Trust, University of Edinburgh) involving Alistair Lawrence (PI), Sarah M Brown, Simone Meddle, Neil Mabbott, Barry McColl and Gerry Thompson.