Stephanie Torrey grew up in urban central Massachusetts with aspirations of becoming a veterinarian, the only job she knew that involved working with animals all day. She began her studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Science (with distinction) in Biology, while doing research in collaboration with Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine examining predictors of avian heart problems in wild species. After graduation, she worked in the biotechnology industry for a couple years while volunteering with Heifer International, work that instilled in her a love of farm animals and lead her to explore ways in which she could improve the lives of agricultural species. In 1999, she began graduate work for a Master of Science at Purdue University in collaboration with the USDA Livestock Behaviour Research Unit, examining the effect of genetic selection for lean growth on stress susceptibility of pigs. She continued her graduate work at the University of Guelph, completing her PhD on the development of feeding and the causation of oral behaviour problems in piglets. In 2005, she accepted a position with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) as a Research Scientist in Swine Behaviour and Welfare based in Lennoxville, Quebec. During her four years there, her research and collaborative efforts involved studies with neonatal piglets, newly weaned pigs, market-weight pigs and sows. In 2009, she was transferred with AAFC to the University of Guelph to help create a Poultry Welfare Cluster. As she wraps up her swine research, Stephanie is applying her expertise in feeding and oral behaviour to the different poultry species. 

Kristi Bovey

Growing up in Eastern (and later Northwestern) Ontario, Kristi has been exposed to many different animals.  With her keen interest in animals and their behaviour, she knew it was a career path she wanted to pursue.  Following training as a veterinary technician, Kristi began her Bachelor's Degree in Animal Biology at the University of Guelph.  It was during that time Kristi became aware of the Ethology research being done at the University, and began working in Dr. Tina Widowski's lab as a research assistant.  Since that time, her work has continued in swine behaviour and welfare, beginning with her undergraduate project looking at the structure and innervation of mature boar tusks at slaughter and followed by a study of the health and welfare of dairy cull cows in Ontario.  With the goal of improving on-farm welfare, Kristi began her Master’s work under the advisement of Dr. Stephanie Torrey.  For her thesis, she is examining both the optimal time to process low-birth-weight piglets and the effects of tail length and nursery stocking density on tail biting behaviour.

Krysta was born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario where she grew up thinking of becoming a large animal veterinarian.  Working at summer camps as a stable-hand and a horse-back riding instructor and then at emergency vet clinics as an Animal Care Attendant solidified in her mind that she wanted to work with animals in the future.  She graduated from highschool and was accepted to the University of Guelph, starting her pre-veterinary degree in Animal Biology.  After her third year at Guelph, she landed a job working for Dr. Tina Widowski in the Animal Behaviour and Welfare lab at the university.  Being around and helping Masters students opened her eyes to a totally different world.  She fell in love with pigs and the idea of conducting research, and decided that graduate school was the right path for her instead of vet school.  Upon graduation, she was offered a position to work under Dr. Stephanie Torrey.  Even though she found pigs awesome to work with, her project will be dealing broiler breeder hens and trying to increase their welfare by examining the effects of alternative diets on behaviour.