Sonia Rey Planellas

Dr. Sonia Rey Planellas is an Associate Professor in Animal Behavior and Welfare at the University of Stirling's Institute of Aquaculture, a global leader in aquaculture research. She leads the Marine Biology program and serves as the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Lead for the Institute. Her research focuses on animal cognition, welfare, and the application of technology (e.g., sensors, AI) to improve aquaculture practices. Key areas include behavioral thermoregulation, stress coping styles in fish, and welfare indicators for farmed species like Atlantic salmon and tilapia. She has led projects such as EU's COPEWELL and AquaExcel3.0, advancing precision farming and offshore aquaculture. Her work bridges fundamental science with applied solutions for sustainable aquaculture and conservation.

Dr. Rey Planellas is a principal investigator in grants like BBSRC-ARCH (offshore salmon welfare) and Innovate UK (automated feeding systems). She collaborates on global initiatives like GAIN (eco-intensification of aquaculture) and AquaGenomics (biotechnological tools). She supervises 5 PhD students and actively promotes EDI through her role in Athena SWAN initiatives. Her research emphasizes welfare metrics, environmental monitoring, and ethical practices in aquaculture.

Publications highlight behavioral monitoring via AI, stress responses in fish, and welfare standards in Latin American aquaculture. She advocates for interdisciplinary approaches, integrating neuro-molecular pathways, genomics, and big data to address challenges in animal welfare and production efficiency.