Marian Dawkins has been instrumental in helping to establish animal welfare as a field of scientific research. Through the development of objective tests that quantify the choices and demands of animals, in combination with scientific measurements of relevant biomolecules, Marian has enabled the point of view of animals to be considered where others thought it not possible.

She has striven to show that improvements in animal welfare can translate into benefits — including economic ones — for humans. Her current research interests include automating assessments of animal welfare. She is leading the development of the rdcn system, which enables farmers to monitor the welfare of broiler chickens by using a smartphone to track movement patterns of the birds.

Marian was awarded a CBE in 2014 for services to animal welfare. She is the author of a number of well-known books on animal behaviour and welfare issues, including the recent Why Animals Matter: Animal Consciousness, Animal Welfare, and Human Well-being (2012).