Dr Natasha Boyland

Natasha Boyland is a Research Officer at The Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience at the LSE, where she leads research on Animals and AI (artificial intelligence). Her work explores how emerging AI technologies are increasingly impacting the lives of nonhuman animals, and how ethical and governance frameworks can be developed to respect all sentient beings. She aims to generate evidence, arguments, and policy proposals that promote ethical and inclusive approaches to AI, in order to inform legal, corporate, and societal change.

Natasha holds a PhD and MSc in Animal Behaviour from the University of Exeter and a BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Reading. Her doctoral research used social network analysis to explore the social dynamics of dairy cows in relation to welfare and productivity. She has also studied animal communication networks (eavesdropping in fiddler crabs) and has published several peer-reviewed articles from her academic work.

Alongside her research, Natasha has over a decade of experience in campaigns and policy advocacy at an international NGO focused on farmed animal welfare and food system transformation. She enjoys facilitating science-policy engagement and has led research and policy projects on animal welfare issues and public perceptions, with a particular focus on farmed aquatic species.

Research Interests

• Animal sentience and welfare
• Ethical AI use
• Animal social networks
• Ethology
• Human behaviour change