Sarah Wickham

I am a Lecturer in STEM education at Flinders University. I graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Animal Science from the University of Western Australia in 2005. I gained a graduate position at the Department of Agriculture and Food, WA investigating fodder composition of pasture legumes. In 2012, I was awarded a PhD from Murdoch University where I investigated the validation of qualitative behavioural assessment against physiological measures in sheep during transport. I returned to the Department of Agriculture and Food, WA as an Animal Welfare Monitor for the Animal Ethics Committee in 2010 whilst completing my PhD, before returning to Murdoch University in 2011 to commence a Post-doctoral fellowship in sheep welfare in the livestock export industry.  I then completed a Master of Teaching with Teach for Australia, which sees industry professionals teach 0.8FTE in a low socio-economic secondary school whilst completing the Masters.  I taught lower school science, and senior human biology, biology, physics and maths in various schools over 9 years, including a gifted and talented specilaised setting, and an inclusive education school.  

• STEM education
• Inclusive education
• Alternative education settings
• Animal behaviour 
• Animal welfare 
• Animal physiology 

I have received over $2,000,000 in funding as part of a research collaborative from major industry partners such as Meat and Livestock Australia, Meat and Wool New Zealand, and Australian National Kennel Council on projects examining the correlation between animal physiology and animal behavior in animal welfare measures. 

Academic Achievements and Awards

• 2008 Murdoch University Sandrina Park Veterinary Trust Scholarship for academic excellence and for advanced research in production animals
• 2007 Australian Postgraduate Award, Meat and Livestock Australia Postgraduate Award and Department of Agriculture and Food WA Postgraduate Award for the duration of candidature in a PhD degree at Murdoch University
• 2004 University of Western Australia Walter Harper Prize for the greatest student contribution to the success of formal and informal activities of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
• 2003 University of Western Australia Graduates Association Prize for the best student undertaking level 2 units

Responsible Positions

• Committee member for the Western Australia Agility Committee, and West Australian Nationals Committee 2018 – 2024
• Chair and State representative of the Western Australia Agility Committee 2011 – 2018; 2023 - current
• Postgraduate representative, School Board Committee (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences), Murdoch University 2009 – 2010
• Postgraduate representative, Health Sciences Committee, Murdoch University 2009 – 2010
• Postgraduate representative, School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University 2008 and 2009
• Committee member for the Western Australia Agility Committee 2006 – 2009
• President of the Southern River Agility & Obedience Dog Club 2005 - 2007
• Committee member, WA branch of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology (AIAST) 2003 – 2005
• Student President of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology (AIAST) 2003

PhD supervising

• 2016 Ms Emily Grant, PhD, Murdoch University (20 % contribution) – Developing remote monitoring techniques for sheep

Honours Supervising

• 2015 Ms Amy Brown, ANS450 honours, Murdoch University (50 % contribution) – Qualitative behavioural assessment of sheep as part of a walk-over weighing system
• 2015 Ms Angelica Aguilar, ANS450 honours, Murdoch University (30 % contribution) – The effect of shearing on inappetence in pre-export feedlot sheep
• 2015 Ms Kaitlin Smith - ANS450 honours, Murdoch University (30 % contribution) – Assessment of pig welfare in lairage through QBA and interventions applied to reduce stress levels and improve welfare
• 2014 Ms Morgan Grey, ANS450 honours, Murdoch University (50 % contribution) – Does providing canine socialisation and human interaction affect the behaviour of shelter dogs?
• 2013 Mr David Resnik, ANS450 honours, Murdoch University (50 % contribution) – An investigation of critical points in rumen temperature during live export of sheep to the Middle East
• 2012 Ms Jaimie-Lee Atherton, ANS450 honours, Murdoch University (50 % contribution) – What do sheep in a feedlot prefer to eat?
• 2012 Mr Taylor Whitcombe, ANS450 honours, Murdoch University (50 % contribution) – The first two days within a feedlot; how the Damara and Merino breeds compare under these conditions
• 2012 Mr Thomas Gregory, honours in Veterinary Biology, Murdoch University (10 % contribution) – Do enriched hides or human interaction affect dog behaviour?
• 2011 Ms Talia Sanders, honours, Murdoch University (10 % contribution) – The influence of pre-weaning mixing upon the behaviour of piglets after weaning