Karen Mancera Ph.D.

Karen completed a BSc in Biology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and an MSc at the same institution, where she studied how the percentage of tree coverage affects cattle welfare. She continued her studies at the University of Queensland, Australia, evaluating the effect of mining machinery noise on the welfare of wildlife. Later, Karen joined UNAM as a postdoctoral researcher, studying animal welfare as an indicator of sustainability and worked as an animal welfare inspector for Certified Humane, where she certified laying hen operations. She has also volunteered in projects with elephants, sea turtles, and cats and dogs in shelters. Karen joined the Prairie Swine Centre as a Postdoctoral Fellow to investigate the effects of sow grouping practices on reproductive performance and piglet development. She is interested in studying the assessment of positive welfare, alternative livestock systems, and poorly studied stressors such as noise and vibration.