Lina Roth

Lina Roth is a Senior Associate Professor in the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology at Linköping University, Sweden. Her research centers on animal behavior, human-animal interaction, and the physiological and behavioral impacts of domestication, particularly in dogs and horses.

She holds a PhD from Lund University on color vision in vertebrates and is a key member of the AVIAN - Behavioural Genomics and Physiology research group, led by Professor Per Jensen. Her work integrates ethology, endocrinology, and genomics to explore how long-term stress synchronizes between dogs and their owners, how rehoming affects canine welfare, and how training methods influence horse behavior.

Her research interests include:

• Human-dog and human-horse relationships
• Long-term stress measurement via hair cortisol
• Behavioral effects of domestication
• Positive reinforcement training
• Interspecific communication and synchronization

The recent publications show a strong trend toward understanding the emotional and physiological alignment between humans and companion animals, with a focus on breed-specific responses, rehoming resilience, and the animal’s perspective in human interactions. Her work increasingly uses biomarkers like cortisol to quantify chronic stress in both dogs and horses.

Scientific contributions include:

• Demonstrating that dogs mirror their owners' long-term stress, especially in herding breeds
• Showing that rehomed dogs can form strong bonds with new owners
• Revealing that horses do not strongly differentiate between owners and strangers in stress contexts
• Investigating visual capabilities in dogs, horses, chickens, and geckos

Lina Roth has advised and collaborated with numerous researchers and students, contributing to large-scale studies on dog behavior and welfare. Her lab engages in interdisciplinary projects involving genetics, endocrinology, and behavioral observation. While no formal grants are listed, her continuous publication output suggests active funding and research support. She is actively involved in public outreach, with several popular science articles summarizing her findings.