Dr Siobhan Mullan, who joined UCD in 2021, and was appointed the first Chair in Animal Welfare and Veterinary Ethics at the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, with the support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, has been named the recipient of the 2025 NovaUCD Consultancy of the Year Award.
A veterinary surgeon, Dr Mullan previously worked in mixed and companion animal practice but has now transitioned away from clinical work to focus on research and teaching to deliver large scale, long-term impactful improvements in animal welfare
Since joining UCD Dr Mullan has undertaken several consultancy projects, through ConsultUCD, and transferred her expertise to deliver long-term impactful improvements in animal welfare to clients in Ireland, Australia, the UK, Thailand, Indonesia, France and North America.
Dr Mullan was presented with her Award by Professor Orla Feely, President, UCD, during the annual presentation of the NovaUCD Innovation Awards which took place at the UCD University Club.
On receiving the 2025 NovaUCD Consultancy of the Year Award, Dr Siobhan Mullan said,
“I am both surprised and delighted in equal measure to have received this Award. The thing I really enjoy about consultancy work is collaborating with incredible people on science-led initiatives to make real-world changes to improve animal lives.I’m so very grateful for the support of the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, and to ConsultUCD, whose service is second to none.”
Dr Mullan’s central research theme has been to develop valid methodologies to assess animal welfare which can then be utilised to drive large-scale welfare improvements. She also has a particular interest in the intersection of animal welfare with other societal priorities such as environmental concerns and how these play out in policy formation.
Dr Mullan is also a strong advocate and supporter of ConsultUCD within her School and within the UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences.
The annual NovaUCD Innovation Awards highlight successes made in areas of knowledge transfer, consultancy, entrepreneurship and the promotion of an innovation culture, by members of the UCD research, innovation and entrepreneurial community.
