People
Centre Director & Principal Investigator
Professor Jonathan Birch
Jonathan Birch is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the inaugural Director of the Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience. He serves as Principal Investigator for our programme and provides strategic and academic leadership, shaping the research agenda and activities.
Email: J.Birch2@lse.ac.uk
Shared mailbox: Philosophy.Sentience@lse.ac.uk
Team
Our team bring specialist expertise across key priority areas. We work towards a shared goal of using the growing science of animal minds to inform better policy and improve the ways in which animals are cared for. We are committed to making real‑world impact through world‑class research, policy engagement, and collaboration with organisations, industry professionals and wider public audiences.
Jackie McAndrew
Centre Manager
Priority area: Impact and Administration
Email: J.A.McAndrew@lse.ac.uk
Shared mailbox: Philosophy.Sentience@lse.ac.uk
Dr Feiyang Wang
Research Officer
Priority area: Changing Attitudes and Behaviours
Email: F.Wang14@lse.ac.uk
Dr Frédéric Basso
Associate Professor of Economic Psychology
Priority area: Changing Attitudes and Behaviours
Email: F.Basso@lse.ac.uk
Kristina Kiminiūtė
Research Assistant ("Pre-Doc")
Priority areas: Changing Attitudes and Behaviours, Animals and AI
Email: K.Kiminiute@lse.ac.uk
Eva Read
PhD in Foundations of Animal Sentience (ASENT)
Priority area: Invertebrate Sentience
Email: E.Read@lse.ac.uk
Current:
- Rebecca Dreier: supporting schemes linked with Universities Federation of Animal Welfare (UFAW).
- Ella Rouja: Research Assistant, LSE-NYU Seed Fund project.
- Misbah Fathima: Research Assistant, LSE-NYU Seed Fund project.
- Olivia Railton: supporting Animals and AI priority area, via the Future Impact Group (FIG) fellowship.
Past:
- Isabella Logothetis: Research Assistant (summer 2025).
- Spencer Jury: Research Assistant (summer 2025).
Network
The Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience is based in the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
We build on earlier research led by our Director and Principal Investigator through the project Foundations of Animal Sentience (ASENT), funded by the European Research Council and based in the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Sciences.
We launched in Autumn 2025, with the generous support of the Jeremy Coller Foundation.
We are supported by an Advisory Board comprising of leading experts across related disciplines and institutions.
