Alistair Lawrence has researched animal behaviour and welfare for close to 40 years. Over that time, he has studied a diverse range of subjects including the causes of abnormal behaviours in confined animals, the welfare of farrowing (parturient) sows, the roles of prenatal stress and genetics in health and welfare, and the economics of animal welfare. More recently he has returned to a long-standing interest in positive welfare which he studies in pigs and laboratory rats. He has taught throughout his career and believes that teaching is one of the most impactful contributions scientists can make to society. He was one of the founders of the highly respected MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour & Welfare at Edinburgh which he has taught on since it was established in the early 1990s.