Sarah is a fifth-year, part-time Anthrozoology PhD candidate at the University of Exeter. Her doctoral project, “Kissing Sharks,” focuses on the unique shark-human relationships co-developed by Cristina Zenato (www.cristinazenato.com) and a shiver of Bahamian Caribbean Reef sharks. Through Grounded Theory qualitative analysis, the project examines the origins, evolution, and impact of shark-listening, aiming to contribute to reshaping societal perceptions of sharks. Sarah is motivated to use her academic investigations to add to the humanist de-centering ‘turns’ pioneered by post-anthropocentric, post-humanist scholars. Furthermore, drawing on Participatory Action Research theories, Sarah and Cristina are collaborating to gather data using various methods and seek to meet the challenge of including sharks’ ‘voices’ as research participants. For Sarah, anthrozoology is more than an academic pursuit. Her aim is to engage her anthrozoological knowledge, as a scholar-activist, and the EASE ethos in the world, to join the effort in creating a paradigm shift in how morethanhuman-animals are viewed. Her work is guided by the principles of the University of Exeter’s EASE Working Group, which views morethanhuman-animals as ethically significant beings. Her PhD project work is briefly outlined here https://www.kissingsharks.com/sharkhumanconnections. 

 

The founder of a volunteer street-living-animal charity in Saudi Arabia, Sarah, through her anthrozoology master’s research, studied the reasons for, and factors affecting, abandoned cats in Saudi Arabia.  As an active co-director of the charity, she continues her activist-researcher approach to study feline lives in Saudi Arabia. Her research for  cats can be followed at https://www.kissingsharks.com/felinelivessaudiarabia.  For Sarah, Anthrozoology is more than an academic pursuit. Her aim is to engage her anthrozoological knowledge and ethos in the world, to join the effort in creating a paradigm shift through which morethanhuman-animals are viewed. By co-founding The Anthrozoology Podcast and Anthrozoology Speaks  Sarah and her colleagues Dr Kris Hill and Dr Michelle Szydlowski, both Anthrozoology PhD graduates, have come together to create Anthrozoology podcasts. They seek to both bring Anthrozoological issues into the lives of varied audiences who may not otherwise be informed of morethanhuman animal - human issues and come together approximately once a month to discuss a common subject and invite early-career anthrozoologists to participate.This effort continues by annually co-organising the Anthrozoology as International Practise Conference. The conference encourages early-career anthrozoologists of any age and geographical location to engage in presenting and supporting early-career anthrozoologists.