Professor Alan Tilbrook

Professorial Research Fellow

Centre for Animal Science
Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation

Professorial Research Fellow

School of Veterinary Science
Faculty of Science
a.tilbrook@uq.edu.au
0409 213958

Overview

Professor Alan Tilbrook is nationally and internationally recognised for leading scientific research in animal science and biomedical science (endocrinology, neuroendocrinology, behaviour, stress, and reproduction). He is a global leader in animal welfare science. Professor Tilbrook has an outstanding balanced portfolio in leadership, strategic planning, research, academia, education and government. He leads Animal Welfare within the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation and the School of Veterinary Science at The University of Queensland. Professor Tilbrook has established and is the Managing Director of The Animal Welfare Collaborative (TAWC), which is a university-facilitated network of individuals, companies, and organisations working together to make evidence-based improvements in animal welfare. TAWC is led by The University of Queensland in partnership with The University of Western Australia, The University of Adelaide and The University of Newcastle. He is Chair and Research Champion of the National Primary Industries Animal Welfare Research, Development and Extension Strategy, represents Universities Australia on the Board of the Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching, was a founder, Deputy Director and Co-Director of the Animal Welfare Science Centre, was the Research Chief of Livestock and Farming Systems at the South Australian Research and Development Institute and was Deputy Head of the Department of Physiology at Monash University. He has held numerous national and local leadership roles. Professor Tilbrook's research is conceptually driven with a multidisciplinary and integrative approach. He has developed cutting edge research programs across a range of species including sheep, pigs, poultry, cattle, goats, rodents, horses and humans. Professor Tilbrook places a huge emphasis on collaboration, training and professional development.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Western Australia

Publications

  • Tomas, Katelyn, Savaglia, Jemma, Plush, Kate J., D’Souza, Darryl N., Butler, Kym L., Hemsworth, Paul H. and Tilbrook, Alan J. (2024). Maternal contact and positive human interactions during lactation impacts piglet performance and behaviour during lactation. Frontiers in Animal Science, 4 1289518. doi: 10.3389/fanim.2023.1289518

  • Tomas, K., Savaglia, J., Plush, K.J., D'Souza, D.N., Butler, K.L., Hemsworth, P.H. and Tilbrook, A.J. (2023). Early life maternal contact has long-term impacts on pig growth. Manipulating Pig Production XIX, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 13-16 November 2023. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.anscip.2023.09.005

  • Abdallah, A., Kumar, A., Navarro, M., Müller, M., Tilbrook, A.J., Plush, K.J., D'Souza, D.N. and Roura, E. (2023). Stocking density increases the incidence of tail biting in post-weaned pigs. Manipulating Pig Production XIX, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 13-16 November 2023. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.anscip.2023.09.015

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Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

  • Doctor Philosophy

  • Doctor Philosophy

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Available Projects

  • New methods for the assessment of animal welfare are needed to match the new and future standards for welfare. Over the last 5-10 years, the definition of animal welfare has started to encompass the concept that animals should experience a “life worth of living” and therefore the next generation of biomarkers for animal welfare need to reflect a positive welfare state and a positive mental status. The project aims to screen biomarkers that have been linked to positive emotion, or positive perception of situations by human and laboratory animals.

    The candidate will run animal experiments using sheep and/or pigs exposed to known positive, neutral and negative situations. The emotional state of the animal will be measured at different time points using established behavioural tests.

    Biological samples, primarily blood and also less invasive samples such as saliva will be collected to measure a suite of potential novel markers of positive experiential state. The tools to measure these new biomarkers will be developed and further validated in field conditions.

View all Available Projects

Publications

Book

  • Edward Narayan, Alan G. McElligott and Alan Tilbrook eds. (2021). Animal welfare assessment: volume 1. Frontiers Research Topics, Laussane, Switzerland: Frontiers Media SA. doi: 10.3389/978-2-88971-098-0

Book Chapter

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

Completed Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • New methods for the assessment of animal welfare are needed to match the new and future standards for welfare. Over the last 5-10 years, the definition of animal welfare has started to encompass the concept that animals should experience a “life worth of living” and therefore the next generation of biomarkers for animal welfare need to reflect a positive welfare state and a positive mental status. The project aims to screen biomarkers that have been linked to positive emotion, or positive perception of situations by human and laboratory animals.

    The candidate will run animal experiments using sheep and/or pigs exposed to known positive, neutral and negative situations. The emotional state of the animal will be measured at different time points using established behavioural tests.

    Biological samples, primarily blood and also less invasive samples such as saliva will be collected to measure a suite of potential novel markers of positive experiential state. The tools to measure these new biomarkers will be developed and further validated in field conditions.