People – “Resilient, relatable and (somewhat) reckless”
Presenting the members of our Steering Committee: Prof. Christine Nicol, Royal Veterinary College, University of London
1. Please describe yourself using 3 words that start with an R?
Resilient, relatable (somewhat) reckless (indicated by tendencies to take in and look after too many children and animals, and to get injured or need to be rescued from various riding, canoeing or climbing situations).
2. What was your motivation to become an NRP 79 Steering Committee member?
I was motivated to become a Steering Committee member primarily because I saw an opportunity to contribute my expertise to improving standards in animal research. The role aligns with my commitment to enhancing animal welfare through evidence-based strategies. I’ve always been interested in using science, particularly my expertise in animal behaviour, as a method to measure harm and distress to animals and hope that I can advise on best practices to reduce this harm.
I was also motivated to participate because the NRP 79 programme goes beyond conventional animal science in supporting research on ethics, policy and regulatory frameworks. Only by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration will answers and solutions be found. The role thus represents a professional responsibility and an opportunity to help drive meaningful change in animal research practices. The knowledgeable colleagues, committed researchers, effective support team and beautiful meeting locations have all kept my motivation high!
3. Personally, what was your biggest success so far in terms of the 3Rs?
Working with my colleague Dr Pandora Pound on a study that performed a retrospective harm:benefit analysis across six different contexts of animal use. It found that the benefits had been largely overstated and harms underestimated when ethical approval was originally granted. This raises serious questions such as whether predictions of likely clinical success are inevitably optimistic and whether they should be systematically downgraded during ethical review.
Main fields of expertise:
- Animal behaviour
- Animal emotion and affect
- Abnormal behaviour
- Human-animal interactions
- Animal welfare policy