Stephanie Lürzel

Stephanie Lürzel is a Researcher at the Institute of Animal Welfare Science and Animal Husbandry, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, where she has been working since 2012. She leads the FWF-funded project 'Gentle human interactions and positive emotions in cattle' (P 29757-B25) since 2017.

Her educational background includes:

• 1999-2007: Study of Biology at the University of Münster, Germany
• 2002-2003: Exchange year at Northern Arizona University, USA
• 2007-2011: Doctoral research at the Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, on 'Social modulation of the stress response during adolescence'

Dr. Lürzel's research focuses on human-animal interactions in farm animals, particularly cattle. Her work investigates how the human-livestock relationship affects animal welfare, stress levels, affective states, and productivity. She is especially interested in the potential for positive human interactions to induce positive emotions in cattle, which may improve both animal well-being and product quality.

She currently leads an Austrian Science Fund (FWF) project exploring gentle human interactions and positive emotions in cattle. Her previous postdoctoral work at Vetmeduni Vienna examined the effects of human-animal interactions on animal welfare and product quality.