Jen-Yun Chou

Jen-Yun Chou is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Saskatchewan and a Research Scientist at the Prairie Swine Centre in Saskatoon, Canada. She leads the ethology and welfare research group at the Centre and collaborates with global partners in the US, Europe, and Taiwan. Her work focuses on improving pig welfare through interdisciplinary research in applied animal behavior, social science, and farm animal husbandry.

Dr. Chou holds a PhD in Clinical Veterinary Sciences from the University of Edinburgh (2019), an MA in Science, Technology and Society from National Tsing Hua University, and postdoctoral experience at institutions including the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. Her research explores pig social behavior, environmental enrichment strategies, and welfare practices in transport/slaughter contexts.

Her research interests include optimizing group-housed pig environments, reducing painful procedures for piglets, and advancing One Welfare concepts. She emphasizes practical solutions that align animal welfare with stakeholder profitability. Recent studies investigate sow housing during early pregnancy, social networks in pigs, and ethical research frameworks in animal welfare science.

Key collaborations span international institutes, and her work has informed policies on enrichment protocols and slaughter practices. Chou advocates for inclusive research practices, as demonstrated by her analysis of virtual conference impacts on global participation in animal welfare research.