Dr Claudia Vinke is behavioural biologist and finished her study Biology in 1992. She works at the School of Veterinary Medicine of the Utrecht University for teaching, research and the behavioural clinic, and works there since 1996. She finished her PhD in 2004 on the effects of cage enrichments on stereotypies (i.e. repetitive invariable behavioural patterns in animals that live in restriction). 

Preferably, she works in interdisciplinary teams on animal welfare, animal behaviour and is very interested in the development of behaviour and mental disorders. Herewith she believes that human psychology and psychiatry can be helpful understanding behavioural problems and welfare problems in animals (''one health one welfare principle''), though always with a starting point out of the biology of the animal! Animals are absolutely central in all her work.

Claudia works with companion animals, dogs, cats, ferrets and parrots, but does teach on dairy cows behavioural biology as well. She works in animal shelters on topics of acute and chronic stress and stress physiology and searches for ways to reduce acute stress the best as possible (e.g. cage enrichment, hiding boxes, etc.), in the areas of working dogs, in (exotic) animal trade systems, in zoos, animal transport, etc.. As a scientists she has both a lot of experience on paper and in practice, in the field. Many students and PhD students work with her on these interesting animal welfare topics and issues.

Research and practice provides multidisciplinary knowledge as well to help dogs, cats and parrots with serious behavioural problems in a clinical setting for better human-animal relationships and better animal welfare. So, on a weekly base you can find Claudia in de behavioural Clinic of Animals at the University Animal Hospital in Utrecht: https://diergeneeskunde.nl/klinieken/gedragskliniek-voor-dieren/ with her enthusiastic colleagues and students.

_{Claudia is certificated by the Landelijke Deskundigheidsmakelaar (LDM) to support police and justice in tasks for animal abuse and animal welfare, and is associated to the European College of Animal Welfare, Ethics & Law.}