My research involves studying the physiology and production management of apples, cider apples, peaches, pears, and cherries. As with any agricultural crop, the industry is rapidly changing with the availability of new cultivars, rootstocks, production systems, and labour saving technology.
I and my lab study animal welfare. We're interested in how to create good living conditions for animals kept in labs, zoos and farms; in how scientists can assess well-being objectively; and in what happens to brain and behaviour when animals are raised and kept lifelong in confining, barren enclosures.
Promotion of dairy cattle health, production, efficiency, and welfare not only contributes to economic viability of the dairy production sector, but also provides benefits to the consumers of milk products. These benefits include environmental sustainability, maintenance of milk nutritional quality and safety, as well as assurance that milk is sourced from animals that have been raised humanely.
One of my main research activities addresses the development of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools for Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) which are used today in all types of applications including security systems, consumer products, medical equipment, manufacturing systems, robotics to name just a few.
I examine marine conservation policy and governance, from local to global scales. I explore how decisions are made, how science and other kinds of knowledge inform these decisions, how various actors influence decision-making processes, and who benefits (or loses) as a result.
My research aims to improve life by helping diverse human societies to better relate to each other and think more critically about the impacts of our actions on our fellow non-human beings.