Ruth C. Newberry

Ruth C. Newberry is a Professor of Ethology in the Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). She holds a PhD from the University of Edinburgh and has held research positions at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Washington State University before joining NMBU in 2013. She is a leading scholar in applied ethology and animal welfare science.

Her research focuses on behavioral development, environmental enrichment, play behavior, and the assessment of positive affective states in animals. She has conducted extensive studies on diverse species including pigs, poultry, dogs, cats, goats, grizzly bears, and laboratory rodents. Her work integrates developmental plasticity, behavioral ecology, and welfare science to improve animal well-being in agricultural and captive settings.

The trends in her recent publications show a strong emphasis on positive animal welfare, behavioral adaptability, and the long-term impacts of early life experiences. Her research spans from fundamental behavioral mechanisms to applied solutions in commercial farming systems, with a growing focus on human-animal interactions and their mutual benefits.

• Poultry Science Association's Poultry Welfare Research Award
• ISAE's Creativity Award

Ruth Newberry has supervised numerous graduate students and collaborated widely across institutions. Her research has been supported by grants related to animal welfare assessment, environmental enrichment, and behavioral development. She has contributed to national and international guidelines, including the Canadian Code of Practice for Poultry. She leads current projects on environmental enrichment for broiler chickens, positive emotions in pigs, and behavioral plasticity in dogs.

She is actively involved in scientific communities, having served as President of the International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE) and as an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Animal Science. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications in animal husbandry and welfare policy.