Melanie Gibbons

Program: MSc student
Supervisor: Dr. Tasha Epp, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences
Home community: Corman Park, Saskatchewan

• BSc, Statistics, University of Saskatchewan
• DVM, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan
• BSc (Hons.) Neuroscience, University of Alberta

Melanie practised as a laboratory animal veterinarian in government and academia, sparking an interest in planning and design of animal studies. She pursued training in statistics to gain a general understanding of how we draw conclusions from data, with specific interest in data from research subjects.

Melanie's career aspirations are to use her statistical knowledge to help researchers plan efficient animal studies, conduct sound analyses and make valid inferences. Through this work, Melanie hopes to contribute meaningfully to the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement) of animal use in science.

In the context of the ethics of animal use in science, Melanie is interested in how statistical aspects such as experimental design and data analysis decisions have an impact on the validity, reproducibility and translation potential of animal studies. She will study local interest in the application of existing tools designed to improve and simplify study planning and review processes.