Joy Mench, Ph.D.
Dr. Mench’s scholarly focus is on the behavior and welfare of animals, particularly poultry and companion birds.
She has published hundreds of articles, book chapters, and edited books on these subjects as well as on topics related
to the ethics of animal use, and is the author of a book on Poultry Behaviour and Welfare. She has also given numerous
invited presentations to local, national and international audiences. Joy has served as a consultant on farm animal
welfare to many different groups. These include farmers and farm organizations (e.g. United Egg Producers, National
Chicken Council, Foster Farms, Maple Leaf Farms, Butterball), food retailers and distributors (e.g. McDonald’s, Safeway,
ALDI, Sysco, National Council of Chain Restaurants, Food Marketing Institute), non-profit groups (e.g. Certified Humane,
American Humane Association Humane Heartland, Animal Welfare Institute), and governmental and global agencies (e.g. the
World Animal Health Organization, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the US Department of Agriculture, the National
Academy of Sciences, the European Food Safety Authority, and the European Union). Joy is also the recipient of the Poultry
Science Association Poultry Welfare Research Award, the UC Davis Distinguished Public Scholarly Service Award, and the American
Humane Association Humane Hero Award. She is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of Animal Science at UC Davis,
where she served as the Director of the Center for Animal Welfare from 1995-2017.