Our team
Our people are the heart of AWEC. We are proud to have a highly skilled and passionate team working to promote animal welfare.
Founders
Marta Amat
Marta Amat obtained her veterinary degree at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). She is a Diplomate of the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine – Companion Animals (ECAWBM-CA) and holds a PhD in Veterinary Medicine. Since 2001 she has been working as a veterinarian in the Clinical Ethology Service of the Clinical Hospital of the UAB and, since 2009, she is the head of this service.
Susana Le Brech
Susana Le Brech holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the National University of the Northeast (UNNE), Argentina. She earned Master’s degrees in Clinical Ethology and Animal Science from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Spain, and a PhD in Veterinary Medicine from the same institution. She is a Diplomate of the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine – Companion Animals (ECVAWBM-CA). She currently works in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at the UAB Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, where she focuses on the behavior and welfare of companion animals.
Pol Llonch
Pol Llonch Obiols obtained his degree in veterinary medicine at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) in 2007 where he also completed his master’s degree in Veterinary Research and Food Science. Subsequently, he obtained his PhD in Veterinary Medicine at the Institute of Agri-Food Research and Technology (IRTA). He worked for three years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Warwick and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC). Diplomate from the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine (ECAWBM). He is currently working as a researcher in the Department of Animal and Food Science at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the UAB.
Eva Mainau
Eva Mainau obtained her degree in veterinary medicine at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), where she also completed her master’s degree in Veterinary Research and Food Science. Subsequently, she obtained her PhD in Veterinary Medicine at the UAB and worked as a researcher at the Institute of Agri-Food Research and Technology (IRTA). She is a Diplomate from the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine (ECAWBM). Currently, she works as a researcher in animal behaviour and Welfare at AWEC and as an associate professor at the UAB Veterinary School.
Xavier Manteca
Xavier Manteca obtained his degree and PhD in veterinary medicine at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and did his MSc in applied animal behaviour and animal welfare at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland). Diplomate from the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine (ECAWBM). He is currently a professor in the Department of Animal and Food Science at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the UAB, where he teaches ethology and animal welfare.
His main lines of research refer to the behaviour and welfare of zoo animals, companion animals and livestock. He has been a member of several working groups of the Animal Health and Welfare Panel of the European Food Safety Authority and has published about 200 articles in prestigious international journals.
Oriol Talló
Oriol Talló Parra obtained his degree in Veterinary Science from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), where he also completed his master’s degree in Animal and Food Science Research and his subsequent PhD in animal welfare. He has a main interest in endocrinological indicators of stress. He is currently working as a researcher in animal welfare and behaviour at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the UAB.
Déborah Temple
Déborah Temple obtuvo su licenciatura en veterinaria en la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB), donde también realizó su máster de especialización en Investigación Veterinaria y Ciencias Alimentarias. Subsequently, she received her PhD in Veterinary Medicine from the UAB and the Institute of Agri-Food Research and Technology (IRTA). She is a Diplomate from the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine (ECAWBM). Currently, she works as a researcher in animal behaviour and Welfare at AWEC and as an associate professor at the UAB Veterinary School.
Teamwork
Clara Agustí
Clara Agustí obtained her veterinary degree from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), where she also completed a Master’s degree in Animal Welfare. She has participated in several research projects related to the conservation of marine mammals. Currently, she is doing her PhD on physiological indicators of stress in cetaceans.
Raúl David Guevara
Raul Guevara obtained his degree in Animal Science from the National University of Colombia where he is originally from. There he began his studies in methodologies for the mitigation of greenhouse gases from cattle. Later, he continued his academic training as part of the research group at the North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) of the University of Florida, and then at Utah State University in the United States where he deepened his research in grazing management as a tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in ruminants during his master’s degree. Currently, Raul is pursuing his doctoral studies in animal production at the Department of Animal and Food Science at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
We would love to hear from you!
If you have any questions about our products/services, please feel free to contact us. We will be happy to help you with anything you need.