Christopher Michael Wathes (May 1952 – 6 May 2016) was a British

research scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophi ...

who specialised in agricultural and veterinary science. Poynting Physics building 2

Wathes was born in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

in 1951 and graduated from the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...

with a BSc degree in

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which rel ...

in 1974. He graduated from the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...

in 1978 with a PhD in Environmental Physics. From 2005 to 2013 Wathes was Chairman of the

Farm Animal Welfare Council The Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) is an independent advisory body established by the Government of the United Kingdom in 2011. It replaced the Farm Animal Welfare Council which was an independent advisory body established in 1979. The Cou ...

, which advised the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on the welfare of farmed animals. Wathes has been Professor of Animal Welfare and director of the Centre for Animal Welfare at the

Royal Veterinary College , mottoeng = Confront disease at onset , established = (became a constituent part of University of London in 1949) , endowment = £10.5 million (2021) , budget = £106.0 million (20 ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...

since 2005. Previously he was Director of Science at the

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, is a non-departmental public body (NDPB), and is the largest UK public funder of non-medical bioscience. It predominantly funds scientific res ...

’s Silsoe Research Institute. In 2005 he was a member of Defra's Review of Avian Quarantine at the time of the outbreak of avian influenza. Wathes was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the

2013 Birthday Honours The 2013 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of ...

for services to animal welfare. He was awarded the Research Medal of the

Royal Agricultural Society of England The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) promotes the scientific development of English agriculture. It was established in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science" and received its Royal Charter from Queen Victoria in 1840. RASE is bas ...

for research on environmental management for livestock in 2002. The medal recognises research work of outstanding merit, carried out in the United Kingdom of benefit to agriculture. He was an Elected Fellow of the

Institution of Agricultural Engineers The Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) is a British professional engineering institution founded in 1938. It is licensed by the Engineering Council to assess candidates for inclusion on its Register of professional Engineers and Techni ...

. In 2001 Wathes was Guest Professor at

Huazhong Agricultural University Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU; ) is a public university in Wuhan, giving priority to agriculture, characterized by life sciences and supplemented by the combination of agriculture, basic sciences, engineering, liberal arts, law, economic t ...

in China. He was posthumously awarded the

Universities Federation for Animal Welfare The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW), is an animal welfare science society. It is a UK-registered scientific and educational charity. UFAW works to improve animals' lives by promoting and supporting developments in the science ...

(UFAW) Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Animal Welfare Science in 2016. He was married to Claire Wathes, also a veterinary researcher.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wathes, Christopher Michael Alumni of the University of Birmingham Alumni of the University of Nottingham Academics of the University of Bristol People associated with the Royal Veterinary College British scientists Officers of the Order of the British Empire 1952 births 2016 deaths People from Birmingham, West Midlands