ISES Council
The affairs of ISES are vested in a Council consisting of the President, the Senior Vice President, the Junior Vice President and 12 other voting members. Refer to the ISES Constitution for details about the duties of the different positions. If you have a specific question you want to have addressed by a Council member, you can send an email by clicking on the name.
Orla Doherty
Honorary President
Orla qualified as a veterinary surgeon from University College Dublin (UCD) before completing a Masters Degree in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare at Edinburgh University. Orla completed a PhD…
Janne Winther Christensen
Senior Vice President
Janne Winther Christensen is an Associate Professor in the Behaviour and Stress Biology group at Aarhus University, Denmark. Janne has studied the behaviour of Przewalski horses in the Askania Nova…
Jane Williams
Junior Vice President
Jane started her career working as Head Veterinary Nurse in a range of small animal, equine and large animal veterinary practices before moving into teaching. She is an experienced academic…
Kirstin Spencer
Treasurer/Membership Secretary
Kirstin has kept a variety of inspirational horses, including some rescues, for the last ten years. Having lived in England, France and Switzerland, she has experienced a range of…
Klára Ničová
Communications Officer
Since my childhood, I have always been fascinated by horses. After many years as a horse rider, I have decided to know more about horses from a scientific point of view. Now I´m starting…
Maria Vilain Rørvang
Newsletter Editor/Social Media
I am a dedicated PostDoc researcher at Department of Biosystems and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden. I have a huge passion for ethology and welfare of animals. My…
Uta Koenig von Borstel
Research Officer
Uta is Professor of Animal Husbandry and Biology at the University of Giessen, Germany. Before moving to her present position she worked as Assistant Professor in Equine Science at the…
Denise Rofe
Practitioner Representative
Denise Rofe, Msc (Biochem), Dip Mus T, is a dressage coach based a Woodside, South Australia. She is married to a scientist and has two adult sons. After an early…
Gemma Pearson
Veterinary Liaison Officer
Gemma graduated as a vet from Glasgow University in 2009. After working in equine practice in Yorkshire for 18 months she moved up to the DICK Vet Equine Hospital at…
Colleen Brady
Education Officer
Colleen Brady earned PhD at Michigan State University, where she studied the impact of different breeding systems on hormones in mares. Following graduation, she accepted a position as an Assistant…
Lauren Brizgys
Student Representative
Lauren Brizgys is completing her Master's degree in Youth Development and Agricultural Education at Purdue University. She will begin her PhD at University of California Davis in the fall…
Angelo Telatin
Ordinary Council Member
Angelo is an Assistant Professor in Equine Science and Management at Delaware Valley College where he teaches a variety of courses from Equine Behavior to Horseback Riding and Training. He…
Carissa Wickens
Assistant Secretary
Dr. Carissa Wickens is an Assistant Professor and Extension Equine Specialist at the University of Florida, Department of Animal Sciences. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in…
Kate Fenner
Media Officer
Kate completed an undergraduate degree in Equine Science at Charles Sturt University and is currently enrolled as a PhD at Sydney University with a focus on equine training, management and…
Katrina Merkies
Honorary Secretary
Katrina Merkies holds an honours BSc (Agr.) in Animal Science and a PhD in Reproductive Physiology, both from the University of Guelph. She was a faculty member at Lake…