Croney chosen to head Purdue animal welfare center

Purdue University associate professor of animal sciences Candace Croney, PhD, began overseeing the university’s new Center for Animal Welfare Science this February when it opened.

The mission of the Center for Animal Welfare Science is to promote the welfare of animals through innovation in research, education, and outreach. It hosts a large collaborative group of scientists working in a variety of related fields and brings together diverse, cross-disciplinary approaches to animal well-being issues in animal and poultry science, veterinary medicine, psychology, philosophy, genetics, public health, and zoology.

“Members of the sciences and animal industries are often perceived as being uncaring or tone-deaf on issues pertaining to animal well-being,” Dr. Croney said. “Purdue’s investment in creating a Center for Animal Welfare Science is a timely and necessary step toward changing this perception. The new center will permit exploration of both the scientific and socioethical issues underlying public concerns.”

Dr. Croney will lead a center that includes scientists and educators from the Purdue colleges of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine and the Livestock Behavior Research Unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. Her responsibilities include soliciting both traditional and nontraditional sources of extramural funding for the center’s research and outreach activities, serving as spokesperson and resource person on welfare issues in public policy, and disseminating knowledge, guidance, and expertise on animal welfare science through a variety of media.

In addition, Dr. Croney will develop and maintain national and international relationships with leaders in animal agriculture, animal welfare faculty at other universities and institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and the public.