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Animal Science and Veterinary
France
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Animal Science and Veterinary

D-Index
56
Citations
12641
World Ranking
419
National Ranking
6

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Animal Science and Veterinary in France Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Animal Science and Veterinary in France Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Animal Science and Veterinary in France Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Animal Science and Veterinary in France Leader Award

Overview

Alain Boissy is affiliated with INRAE, the Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement in France. Their research focuses on various aspects of animal science, particularly in behavior, welfare, and genetics.

The scientist's recent papers cover diverse topics related to livestock and animal welfare:

  • Classification of pig calls produced from birth to slaughter according to their emotional valence and context of production, 2022, Scientific Reports
  • Conditions for assessing cortisol in sheep: the total form in blood v. the free form in saliva, 2020, animal
  • Short- and mid-term effects on performance, health and qualitative behavioural assessment of Romane lambs in different milk feeding conditions, 2021, animal
  • Genetic parameters estimates for ewes' behavioural reactivity towards their litter after lambing, 2020, Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics
  • A Non-Invasive Millimetre-Wave Radar Sensor for Automated Behavioural Tracking in Precision Farming-Application to Sheep Husbandry, 2021, Sensors

Frequent co-authors in Alain Boissy's research include:

  • Pierre Mormède
  • Dominique Hazard
  • Alice de Boyer Des Roches
  • Raphaël R. Guatteo
  • Éric Delval

The main publication venues where Alain Boissy has contributed multiple works are:

  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
  • HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)
  • Scientific Reports
  • animal
  • Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics

Alain Boissy has authored several books related to animal welfare, including two published by éditions Quae eBooks titled Le bien-être des animaux d'élevage in 2020 and 2021. Another recent book, Understanding, Assessing and Improving Farm Animal Welfare, was published in 2024 by CABI eBooks.

Their work covers numerous subfields of study such as:

  • Small Animals
  • Genetics
  • Animal Science and Zoology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Social Psychology

Key research topics explored by Alain Boissy include:

  • Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
  • Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior
  • Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
  • Human-Animal Interaction Studies
  • Meat and Animal Product Quality
  • Effects of Environmental Stressors on Livestock
  • Reproductive Physiology in Livestock

Best Publications

  • Assessment of positive emotions in animals to improve their welfare.

    Alain Boissy;Gerhard Manteuffel;Margit Bak Jensen;Randi Oppermann Moe

  • A critical review of fear tests used on cattle, pigs, sheep, poultry and horses

    B. Forkman;A. Boissy;M.-C. Meunier-Salaün;E. Canali

  • Fear and fearfulness in animals.

    Alain Boissy

  • Emotions in farm animals: a new approach to animal welfare in applied ethology.

    Lara Désiré;Alain Boissy;Isabelle Veissier

  • Genetics of adaptation and domestication in livestock

    Sandrine Mignon-Grasteau;Alain Boissy;Jacques Bouix;Jean-Michel Faure

  • Behavioral, cardiac and cortisol responses to brief peer separation and reunion in cattle.

    Alain Boissy;Pierre Le Neindre

  • Effects of early handling on heifers' subsequent reactivity to humans and to unfamiliar situations

    Alain Boissy;Marie-France Bouissou

  • The social behaviour of cattle.

    M. F. Bouissou;A. Boissy;P. le Neindre;I. Veissier

  • Effects of androgen treatment on behavioral and physiological responses of heifers to fear-eliciting situations.

    A. Boissy;M.F. Bouissou

  • Assessment of individual differences in behavioural reactions of heifers exposed to various fear-eliciting situations

    Unknown

  • Stress and welfare: Two complementary concepts that are intrinsically related to the animal's point of view

    I. Veissier;A. Boissy

  • Release from restraint generates a positive judgement bias in sheep

    Rebecca Elise Doyle;Rebecca Elise Doyle;Andrew D Fisher;Geoffrey Hinch;Alain Boissy

  • Handling of extensively kept animals

    P. Le Neindre;X. Boivin;A. Boissy

  • Social influences on the reactivity of heifers: Implications for learning abilities in operant conditioning

    Alain Boissy;Pierre Le Neindre

  • Pig's responses to repeated social regrouping and relocation during the growing-finishing period

    Laurence Coutellier;Cécile Arnould;Alain Boissy;Pierre Orgeur

  • Presence of cues from stressed conspecifics increases reactivity to aversive events in cattle: evidence for the existence of alarm substances in urine.

    Alain Boissy;Claudia Terlouw;Pierre Le Neindre

  • On the way to assess emotions in animals: do lambs (Ovis aries) evaluate an event through its suddenness, novelty, or unpredictability?

    Lara Désiré;Isabelle Veissier;Gérard Després;Alain Boissy

  • Calves' responses to repeated social regrouping and relocation

    I Veissier;A Boissy;A M dePassillé;J Rushen

  • Genetics of fear in ruminant livestock

    A. Boissy;A.D. Fisher;J. Bouix;G.N. Hinch

  • Do beef cattle react consistently to different handling situations

    Laurence Grignard;Xavier Boivin;Alain Boissy;Pierre Le Neindre

  • Effects of prenatal undernutrition on emotional reactivity and cognitive flexibility in adult sheep.

    Hans W Erhard;Alain Boissy;Mick T Rae;Stewart M Rhind

  • Measuring judgement bias and emotional reactivity in sheep following long-term exposure to unpredictable and aversive events

    Rebecca Elise Doyle;Caroline Lee;Veronique Deiss;Andrew D Fisher

  • Grazing behaviour of sheep in a situation of conflict between feeding and social motivations.

    B Dumont;A Boissy

Frequent Co-Authors

Isabelle Veissier
Isabelle Veissier University of Rennes
Christine Leterrier
Christine Leterrier Centre Val de Loire
Xavier Boivin
Xavier Boivin University of Clermont Auvergne
Cécile Arnould
Cécile Arnould Oniris - École nationale vétérinaire, agroalimentaire et de l'alimentation, Nantes-Atlantique
Raymond Nowak
Raymond Nowak François Rabelais University
Bertrand Dumont
Bertrand Dumont University of Clermont Auvergne
Caroline Lee
Caroline Lee Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Andrew D. Fisher
Andrew D. Fisher University of Melbourne
Pierre Le Neindre
Pierre Le Neindre INRAE : Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement
Paul H. Hemsworth
Paul H. Hemsworth University of Melbourne

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Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Exploring Animal Science and Veterinary fields often opens doors to a range of related disciplines and career options. For those interested in the physical health and rehabilitation of animals and humans alike, pursuing an exercise science degree online can provide valuable knowledge in anatomy, physiology, and movement sciences that complement veterinary care.

For professionals passionate about behavior and mental health, studying behavior analysis is a promising path. Programs ranked among the best schools for bcba offer specialized training to become Board Certified Behavior Analysts, a credential that supports careers in developmental and behavioral therapy.

Additionally, animal welfare intersects with human psychology, making online psychology degrees appealing. Prospective students can find comprehensive options through online school psychology programs that blend theoretical and applied knowledge for educational settings.

Furthermore, advanced clinical roles in psychology, including counseling and therapy, can be pursued via apa accredited psyd programs online. These programs offer flexible pathways without GRE requirements, catering to busy students aiming to balance education with career or personal commitments.

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