James Serpell

James Serpell

Director - Center for the Interaction of Animals & Society, University of Pennsylvania

James Serpell holds the Marie A. Moore Endowed Professorship in Animal Ethics and Welfare at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. He received his bachelor’s degree in Zoology from University College London in 1974, and his PhD in Animal Behavior from the University of Liverpool (UK) in 1980.

In 1985, he established the Companion Animal Research Group at the University of Cambridge before moving in 1993 to his current position at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches veterinary ethics, applied animal behavior and welfare, and human-animal interactions. His research focuses on the behavior and welfare of dogs and cats, the development of human attitudes to animals, and the history and impact of human-animal relationships.

In addition to publishing more than 100 articles and book chapters on these and related topics, he is the author, editor, or co-editor of several books, including Animals and Human Society: Changing Perspectives (1994), The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behaviour and Interactions with People (1995), In the Company of Animals (1996), and Companion Animals and Us (2000). 


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