BERG January 2026

berg@lists.stir.ac.uk

2 participants
3 discussions

BERG/SHAIR talk next week (Weds Jan 28th) by Roxanne Hawkins

by Clare Andrews

Dear SHAIRers and BERGers, Here are details of the talk next week (Teams link is below): [cid:b0f8bd96-3afc-4d2d-aa08-f776284a42e4] The Complex Interplay between the Human-Animal Bond, Perinatal Mental Health, and Companion Animal Welfare Dr Roxanne Hawkins, University of Edinburgh Wednesday 28 January 2026, 4-5pm Psychology Common Room ‘watch party’ (C.3A94) or via Teams<https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3816460052135?p=xsEIefROgXSXlZHxc0> Abstract The perinatal period, which includes pregnancy and up to a child’s first year of life, is a known significant transitional time for a family, and new mothers have a heightened risk for developing mental health difficulties. Pets can offer protective benefits by enhancing coping and resilience, yet wellbeing benefits perinatally remain unresearched. There’s also a lack of investigation into pet welfare during the perinatal period, despite the likelihood of pets being affected by perinatal changes. This study used qualitative reports from new and expecting mothers with dogs and/or cats to explore the interplay between the human–pet bond, maternal mental health, and pet welfare. Findings highlight shifts in human–pet bonds, the nature of human-pet interactions, changes in pet behaviour, pet aversion, unsafe baby–pet interactions, and the impact of shifting priorities on pet wellbeing and relinquishment. In this talk, I will share these findings with a focus on parents’ support needs around companion animals, and discuss how tailored resources and interventions can both safeguard pet welfare and promote maternal mental health during this important transitional life stage. ________________________________ Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159

1 day, 3 hours

BERG/SHAIR research seminars resuming next week (Wednesday, 4pm)

by Pawel Fedurek

Dear BERGers, Happy New Year! This is just to let you know that we are resuming our research seminars next week (Wednesday 28 January, 4pm), with our first speaker being Dr Roxanne Hawkins from the University of Edinburgh (more details on the seminar shortly). Spring semester seminars: Date Speaker Affiliation Talk title Chair Format 28-Jan-26 Roxanne Hawkins University of Edinburgh TBC. Pets and perinatal wellbeing Clare TBC 4-Feb-26 Berta Roura-Torres Georg-August University Göttingen Early life adversity predicts physical development in young mandrills Pawel Online 11-Feb-26 Dylan Feldmeier University of Oxford TBC. Human-wildlife conflict Pawel Online 18-Feb-26 TBC 25-Feb-26 Floriane Fournier Université Jean Monnet TBC. Nonlinear phenomena in vocal emotional expression and perception in bonobos Pawel Online 4-Mar-26 MID SEMESTER BREAK No seminar 11-Mar-26 IMPACT meeting Impact research catch up Pawel F2F 18-Mar-26 Robert Aitchison University of Stirling TBC. Carrion crow vocal behaviour Pawel F2F/hybrid 25-Mar-26 Janie Fink University of St Andrews; University of California Davis TBC. Comparative cognition, bee cognition Pawel F2F/hybrid 1-Apr-26 Maleen Thiele Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology TBC Alex Online 8-Apr-26 Stephan Kaufhold Univesity of California, San Diego TBC Alex Online Link to the meeting: BERG research seminars | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fteams.mic…<https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3816460052135?p=xsEIefROgXSXlZHxc0>> Best wishes, Pawel ------------------------------- Dr Pawel Fedurek (he/his) Lecturer in Psychology Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG) Division of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling, FK9 4LA Scotland, UK @pawel-fedurek<https://bsky.app/profile/pawel-fedurek.bsky.social> @berg-stirling<https://bsky.app/profile/berg-stirling.bsky.social> Staff page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/1080868> | BERG page<https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/faculties/natural-sciences/our-research/resear…> I aim to reply within 3 working days (my working days are between Monday and Friday). ________________________________ Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159

2 days, 12 hours

Funded PhD

by Pawel Fedurek

FYI: Fully funded PhD project available at Nottingham Trent University. Linked to a BBSRC funded grant, this project will investigate how primates perceive and respond to infants, combining cutting-edge cognitive testing with behavioural data. The findings will be used to develop non-invasive tools that can predict how individuals will interact with infants, ultimately informing breeding management and enhancing welfare standards in captive colonies. The project will also help us understand the fundamental mechanisms underpinning individual differences in parenting. (Note: open to UK students only). For informal enquiries contact Dr Yuri Kawaguchi (see below link to advert). Deadline 2nd February 2026 for an April start. https://www.ntu.ac.uk/study-and-courses/postgraduate/phd/phd-opportunities/… ________________________________ Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159

2 weeks, 4 days

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BERG January 2026