Zoe Thomson

Zoe’s research focuses on animal science and interdisciplinary work linking animal welfare and human wellbeing. She has contributed to a range of applied research projects, with interests in One Welfare, service evaluation, and evidence-based practice, aiming to produce research that is relevant, accessible, and impactful across sectors.

[email protected]

Background

Zoe has worked as a Research Assistant on several projects at ARU, including the SDUK Service Evaluation Project, the Collaboration for Research in Amputations in Essex (CARE), and the ESNEFT Professional Advocacy Project. Across these roles, she has been involved in research design, data collection, analysis, and stakeholder engagement, contributing to projects spanning both animal and human-focused research.

She is a member of the ARU OneWelfare Research Group, reflecting her interest in the relationship between animal welfare and human wellbeing. Her academic background in animal science, combined with practical research experience, supports an interdisciplinary approach. She is particularly interested in research that informs practice and contributes to meaningful, real-world outcomes.

Qualifications

MSc Animal Welfare and Conservation, ARU Writtle

BSc (Hons) Animal Science (Pet Behaviour & Welfare), Writtle University College

Selected recent publications

Gray, S., Emmerson, D., Thomson, Z., van Veggel, N. and Engward, H. (2024) ‘Preparing for Assistance Dog Retirement: What do we currently know about the retirement of assistance dogs?’, OSF Preprints. Available at: https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/6v9gs

Recent presentations and conferences

van Veggel, N., Thomson, Z. (2025) ‘The Human-Animal Bond: From ancient companionship to assistance dog retirement’, Dogs Making a Difference, Winchester (UK), 11 September.

Thomson, Z., Emmerson, D., Gray, S., van Veggel, N. and Engward, H. (2024) 'Investigating the challenges of assistance dog retirement: A OneWelfare approach to support human-dog partnerships in the UK', Interdisciplinary Innovation: How can we advance research and practice in human animal interaction. Society for Companion Animal Studies [online], 20 October.

Gray, S., Emmerson, D., Thomson, Z., van Veggel, N. and Engward, H. (2024) 'A Scoping Review: Current Insights and Knowledge into Assistance Dog Retirement', Interdisciplinary Innovation: How can we advance research and practice in human animal interaction?, Society for Companion Animal Studies [online], 20 October.

Reka, B., Gray, S., Thomson, Z., Emmerson, D., van Veggel, N. and Engward, H. (2024) 'Preparing for Assistance Dog Retirement: information for assistance dog users available in the public domain', 4th Anthrozoology as International Practice (AIP) Conference, AIP, [online], 17-19 November.

van Veggel, N., Emmerson, D., Gray, S., Thomson, Z. and Engward, H. (2024) 'Participatory Research Fund Project: Preparing for Assistance Dog Retirement, Let's Shape Research Together Conference, ARU, Cambridge, 26 June. Available at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26195204.v1

van Veggel, N., Emmerson, D., Gray, S., Thomson, Z. and Engward, H. (2024) 'Preparing for Assistance Dog Retirement - a PPIE case study;, Let's Shape Research Together Conference, ARU, Cambridge, 26 June. Available at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26195210.v1