Robert Kirk

Robert Kirk is a Professor (Dr Reader) at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM) at the University of Manchester. He holds positions in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health. His research focuses on the historical and ethical dimensions of human-animal relations in science, medicine, and technology. Kirk’s work explores multispecies medicine, animal welfare in research, and the moral ecology of scientific practices.

Education:

• Bachelor’s and Master’s in History and History of Science, Lancaster University
• PhD from the Wellcome Centre for the History of Medicine, UCL (2006)

Research Interests:

• Role of non-human animals in medical practices and scientific research
• Historical emergence of ethical frameworks for animal welfare
• Multispecies approaches to health and wellbeing
• Translation of knowledge between human and animal studies

Key Contributions:

• Co-authored Researching Animal Research (2024), advocating interdisciplinary collaboration in lab animal science
• Explored historical cases like leech farming in 19th-century France and dog mobility governance in 20th-century America

Affiliations:

• Peer Review College, Arts & Humanities Research Council (2017–2021)
• Medical Humanities Review Group, Wellcome Trust (2016–2022)

Grants & Projects:

• Leading a project on mask-wearing in semi-colonial China (2023–2026)

Teaching: Supervises undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral research in medical history and humanities.