Dr Christina Stanley
Deputy Head
Biography
Dr Stanley is an Associate Professor in Animal Behaviour and Welfare within the School of Natural Sciences, where she is currently Deputy Head of School and Programme Leader for the MSc in Animal Behaviour. She is a behavioural ecologist researching the social experiences of animals, with a focus on bats. Outside of the university, Dr Stanley is a co-opted member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) Research Committee; this enables her to help support member zoos/aquariums and researchers to carry out high quality, impactful research that has both animal welfare and conservation benefits.
Teaching and Supervision
As a previous University Innovation Fellow, Dr Stanley’s main pedagogical research interests are in mechanisms for supporting positive mental health in academia and in the use of technology to enhance inclusive teaching practice. She uses a learner-centred approach in her teaching to ensure sessions are both inclusive and engaging. Dr Stanley champions the development of students’ science communication skills and their freedom of choice in assessments, both of which are evident in her behavioural ecology-based modules at levels 6 (final year BSc) and 7 (MSc).
Research and Knowledge Exchange
As a behavioural ecologist, Dr Stanley’s research focuses on the social experiences of animals. From bats to horses, individuals’ social environments, in terms of the social network in which they are embedded, can have significant positive and negative impacts on their lives. Dr Stanley’s research has practical applications to conservation and the quantification of animal welfare; for example, a long-term project working with the critically endangered Livingstone’s fruit bat has significantly improved our ability to manage captive breeding populations of this and other fruit bat species. Dr Stanley is currently leading a Leverhulme Trust funded project that will improve our ability to mitigate against anthropogenic impacts on lesser horseshoe bats, assessing welfare in wild populations and developing exciting new technology for monitoring small-bodied bats.