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Amir Sarrafchi


Position/Title: Ph.D. Candidate
email: asarrafc@uoguelph.ca
Phone:
Office: ANNU 032

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Short Biography

Amir started his Ph.D. in September 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Katrina Merkies looking at the “effect of touch on horses and dogs during human-animal interactions”. His research is composed of four individual and complementary projects mainly focused on certified therapy animals. 

Amir was born in Iran where he graduated from the School of Veterinary Medicine. His veterinary practices were mainly focused on equine reproduction and obstetrics. Along with veterinary studies, he was interested in the behavioural problems of domestic animals. Thus, to complement his practical and clinical skills in veterinary medicine with a deep understanding of animal behaviour, he moved to Sweden to pursue a master’s degree in Applied Ethology and Animal Biology at Linköping University. During his master’s studies, he was involved in equine behaviour and welfare projects. The integration of the knowledge of animal behaviour into veterinary practices enabled him to identify and alleviate numerous behavioural problems throughout his career.

 

Academic History

  • DVM, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Azad University, Iran, 2008
  • MSc, Master of Applied Ethology and Animal Biology, Linköping University, Sweden, 2012

 

Publications

  • Amir Sarrafchi, Matéa David-Steel, Sydney D. Pearce, Natassja de Zwaan, Katrina Merkies (2022) Effect of human-dog interaction on therapy dog stress during an on-campus student stress buster event. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, (253) 105659. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105659

  • Amir Sarrafchi, Matthias Laska (2017) Olfactory sensitivity for the mammalian blood odor component trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-decenal in CD-1 mice. Perception (46) 333-342. https://doi.org/10.1177/0301006616653136

  • Amir Sarrafchi, Harry J. Blokhuis (2013) Equine stereotypic behaviors: causation, occurrence and prevention. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 8: 386-394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2013.04.068

  • Amir Sarrafchi, Anna M. E. Odhammer, Laura Teresa Hernandez Salazar, Matthias Laska (2013) Olfactory Sensitivity for Six Predator Odorants in CD-1 Mice, Human Subjects and Spider Monkeys. PLoS ONE, 8: e80621. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0080621