Troy Gibson

Troy Gibson is an Associate Professor in Animal Welfare Science at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), Department of Pathobiology & Population Sciences, Hawkshead Campus. He has been with RVC since 2008, progressing from Research Associate to Lecturer (2012), Senior Lecturer (2017), and Associate Professor (2019). He serves on the UK Animal Welfare Committee, RSPB Ethics Advisory Committee, and ZSL Animal Welfare Committee.

His educational background includes a BSc in Physiology from Lincoln University, New Zealand (2001), PGDipSci with Distinction (2004), and PhD from Massey University, New Zealand (2009).

Gibson's research focuses on understanding and improving animal welfare during slaughter, painful husbandry procedures, and vertebrate pest control. His work combines physiological, behavioral, and pathological assessments to develop evidence-based recommendations aimed at reducing animal suffering. He has contributed to industry guidelines on humane slaughter practices and collaborates with regulatory bodies to inform animal welfare policies. Current research interests include animal welfare of livestock during routine husbandry procedures, welfare at slaughter, and wildlife management.

His publication record shows a strong focus on captive bolt stunning methods across various species including horses, sheep, cattle, poultry, and wildlife. Recent work has expanded to include international contexts, particularly examining donkey welfare at slaughter in Ghana and educational approaches to pig production in Muslim-majority countries. His research consistently applies scientific rigor to practical animal welfare challenges in commercial settings.

Gibson directs the Animal Husbandry Extramural Studies (AHEMS) program at RVC and leads the Animal Husbandry sub-strand. He lectures on Animal Welfare and Animal Husbandry to BVetMed students and BSc Bioscience students, serving as module leader for the 3rd year BSc Applied Animal Welfare course. He supervises undergraduate, MSc, MRes, and PhD students, focusing on practical approaches to improve animal welfare under human influence.

His laboratory work centers on the Animal Welfare Science and Ethics research center at RVC, where his team studies methods of stunning and dispatch across various species and settings. The research aims to help systems evolve toward more humane and less stressful practices for animals, with findings shared with stakeholders to enable scientifically informed changes that reduce animal distress.