Prof. Andrew Knight- Animal Cruelty & Vegan Pet Food
I am originally from Australia, and ever since helping launch Australia's campaign against the live sheep trade to the Middle East in the early 1990s, I have tried to advocate on behalf of animals. For nearly a decade prior to 2012 I practiced veterinary medicine, mostly around London. In 2013 - 2014 I Directed the Clinical Skills Laboratory and taught animal ethics, welfare, veterinary practice management, and surgical and medical skills at one of the world’s largest veterinary schools in the Caribbean.
I was Founding Director of the University's former Centre for Animal Welfare, now the Animal Welfare Research Group in which I am now a Visiting Lecturer. I am Adjunct Professor in the School of Environment and Science at Griffith University, Queensland; an EBVS European and RCVS Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law; an American and New Zealand Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare; and a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. My books include The Routledge Handbook of Animal Welfare (2023) and The Costs and Benefits of Animal Experiments (2011).
I have around 150 academic and 80 popular publications, an extensive series of social media videos, on plant-based companion animal diets, climate change and the livestock sector, invasive animal research, educational animal use, humane clinical and surgical skills training, and other animal welfare issues. I have delivered more than 200 presentations at conferences and universities internationally, and have have organized or chaired seven conferences and seminars. I regularly work with animal welfare charities to advocate for animals, and am frequently interviewed by the media.
I have been honoured with 14 awards and 22 research grants, including the Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics Shomer Award, a University Values Award and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association Humane Achievement Award, all in 2019. I enjoy teaching, and was delighted to receive a University Student-Led Teaching Award in 2017.