Staff

Bella Lear Chief Executive

Bella has worked in science communication for over 20 years.  Her work has spanned neuroscience and the social sciences, as she has worked on culture change and the communication of complex and ethically challenging issues with different audiences.  She is a former Member of Council of the Laborartory Animal Science Association (LASA) and UK Representative to the Federation of European Animal Science Associations (FELASA).

Bella has worked as a science communication consultant and researcher, and was involved in several government culture change programmes in the UK, including the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research. She was responsible for member engagement and strategic lead for openness at Understanding Animal Research for over a decade, before moving to Melbourne, Australia to lead Understanding Animal Research Oceania.

Governance

Understanding Animal Research Oceania is led by its Board of Directors. Directors sit as individuals, and bring knowledge of their different sectors to support UAR Oceania. Directors are selected for the skills they bring and for their commitment to UAR Oceania's purpose. UAR Oceania's founding Directors represent and provide oversight from UAR (UK) which has provided the experience and resource for this initiative. They also include key stakeholders from life-sciences research in Australia and New Zealand. From 2023 the Board of Directors will be voted in by member representatives at the AGM.

Jodi Salinsky, (New Zealand) Chair of the Board of Directors

Jodi is a veterinarian with extensive experience, having worked in a variety of animal health, welfare, education, and communication capacities in a wide range of organisations internationally. She is currently the Animal Welfare Officer at the University of Auckland.

 

 

Kiri Collins (Australia), Honorary Treasurer

Kiri is Head of Built Environment & Infrastructure at the Children’s Cancer Institute, Sydney NSW, Australia, and former President of the Australia and New Zealand Laboratory Animal Association (ANZLAA). Kiri was the recipient of the 2022 CEW Schmidmaier Mayne Scholarship.

 

 

 

Wendy Jarrett (UK), Director

Wendy has focused on communication of health sciences for most of the past 35 years. She began working in animal research advocacy in 2004, and has been Chief Executive of Understanding Animal Research since 2012. She led the development of the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK and worked with colleagues across Europe to set up the European Animal Research Association (EARA) in 2014. Wendy is Vice Chair of the UK Home Office Animals in Science Committtee. She is also a Vice President of the Insitute of Animal Technology.  

 

Jane Cross (Australia), Director

A BSc Zoology graduate of the University of Canterbury (NZ), Dr Cross began her career in 2002 as an animal technician at the Animal Resources Centre, and microinjectionist at Ozgene, Perth. In 2005 she moved into research, studying neurodegeneration and neuroprotective therapies for stroke at the Perron Institute in Nedlands, Western Australia, where she completed her PhD thesis in 2012, followed by a post-doctoral position in the Stroke Research Group. In 2018, Jane became a senior executive at the Perron Institute as Manager of Laboratory Operations and Manager of the Sarich Neuroscience Research Institute (SNRI) Bioresources Facility. Jane is President of the Australian and New Zealand Laboratory Animal Association (ANZLAA).

 

Anna Mitchell (New Zealand), Director

Anna is a behavioural neuroscientist whose research looks at learning and decision-making processes in humans and animals. She is Associate Professor of Behavioural Neuroscience at University of Canterbury.

 

 

Susan Maascricht (Australia), Director

Susan is a post-graduate qualified veterinarian who has worked in the vocational education, animal shelter, university and research sectors as a senior executive, manager and leader, with responsibility for the operation and management of complex scientific, educational and welfare facilities. She has extensive experience in human and animal ethics and welfare and has served on multiple advisory, ethics and management committees and Boards. Susan has held executive or senior management positions responsible for educational, research and welfare outcomes for the past 10 years, and is currently Director of Research Integrity & Ethics Administration at the University of Sydney.

Trichur Vidyasagar (Australia), Director

Sagar, as he is prefers to be called, is a neuroscientist and professor at the University of Melbourne, with over 45 years of experience in animal research. His research focuses on understanding the neural basis of sensory processing, the ways and rules of communication within the brain and between the brain and the sense organs. He has worked with a variety of animals and he has also been involved in research on humans and in the use of in vitro preparations and computational modelling. Originally trained in medicine in India, he has subsequently worked in UK, Germany and Australia in research and teaching. During these years, he has worked with animal and human ethics committees, and in public engagement, including with animal welfare groups. He is strongly committed to openness in research, and believes that transparency serves both science and animal welfare.

Martine Smale (Australia), Director

During Martine completed a Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy in 2011. She has served the small animal research community since 2010, and currently serves Director of Sales in the Asia Pacific Region for Transnetyx and A-Tune, supporting the research community by providing diagnostic services and software tools to support the 3Rs and the reproducibility of in vivo experiments.