Sara Hintze

Dr. Sara Hintze serves as Assistant Professor at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, Austria, within the Institute of Livestock Sciences under the Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems. She holds a ORCID and has conducted extensive research on animal emotions and welfare.

• Education: PhD in Animal Welfare Science (University of Bern, 2017), MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare (University of Edinburgh, 2012), Veterinary Medicine (Giessen University, 2011)
• Key Grants: FWF Firnberg grant (2020-2023) for "Animal boredom - identifying symptoms and consequences"

Her research focuses on animal emotions, particularly boredom-like states in pigs, cognitive bias in horses, and positive welfare indicators. She has presented at 51 international lectures across eight countries, including keynote speeches at major conferences like the International Meeting of Applied Ethology and ISAE Congress.

Scientific Awards include:

• 2023: Early Career Animal Welfare Researcher of the Year (UFAW)
• 2023: Poster Prize (Applied Ethology Meeting)
• 2018: Faculty Prize for Best Dissertation (Vetsuisse)
• 2017: IGN Research Award
• 2017: Walther Bolz Animal Welfare Award
• 2015: Best Student Presentation (ISES Conference)

She has contributed to 15 recent publications (2023-2025) covering topics like chronic boredom in pigs, cross-species emotion assessment, and positive welfare indicators. Her work combines behavioral ecology with cognitive science to advance sustainable farming practices.