Sofija Dubianskaja

I’m a welfare scientist and behaviour practitioner with an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare from the University of Edinburgh, currently working at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home as a Rehoming and Welfare Coordinator. My work focuses on behavioural and welfare assessments as well as rehoming matches and introductions - but what really drives me is understanding what animals feel, not just how they behave. I’m particularly inspired by the work of Françoise Wemelsfelder, Marc Bekoff and Carl Safina, and I try to bring a sentience-informed perspective into my day to day practice. The part of my job I enjoy most is the education side - helping people actually understand the animal in front of them. I’m interested in where animal welfare science, sentience research and practical sector change meet, and in how we move the field toward a more emotionally literate understanding of the animals in our care.