Oxford University Animal Ethics Society

The Animal Ethics Society is an official Oxford University Society. It aims to provide a forum for the discussion of the moral status of animals. The Society works closely with the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, which pioneers ethical perspectives on animals through academic research, teaching, and publication. Membership is free, and open to all members of Oxford University and Fellows of the Centre.

Officers of the Animal Ethics Society, 2020-2021

President: Jacob Brandler (DPhil in History, Linacre College)
Secretary: Antoni Mikocki (BPhil in Philosophy, Worcester College)
Treasurer: Georgia Porter (BA in Medical Sciences, Exeter College)
Vice President: Susana Higueras Carrillo (MSc in Nature, Society and Environmental Governance, Linacre College)
Vice President: Emma Howes (MSc in Latin American Studies, Brasenose College)
Vice President: Jonathan Howes (DPhil in Physics, Merton College)
Senior Member: Dr Katherine Morris (Mansfield College)
Emeritus Senior Member: Professor Andrew Linzey (Director, Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics)
Organising Member: Clair Linzey (Deputy Director, Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics)

Honorary Members:

Jenny Meszaros (St Hilda’s, 2004-8)
Sarah Harden (University College, 2006-2012)
Alastair Harden (Christ Church, 2006-2008)
Alan LeCras (Magdalen, 2006-2009)
Maximilian Padden Elder (Mansfield, 2011-2012)
Cyril Wohrer (Wolfson, 2011-2012)
Ionut Moise (Wolfson, 2012-2018)
Robert Lazo (Mansfield 2013-2014)
Justin Begley (University College, 2013-2017)
Rachel Wechsler (Green Templeton College, 2013-2019)
Juliane Beck (St Antony’s College, 2013-2015)
Adam Bridgen (Linacre College, 2013-2020)
Jennifer Clements (St John’s College, 2013-2016)
Kelsi Nagy (St Antony’s College, 2013-2020)
Grace Young (Somerville College, 2014-2018)
Harshmeena Sanghani (New College, 2014-2018)
Tobias Thornes (Oriel College, 2013-2018)
Katie Javanaud (Keble College, 2013-2019)
Jade Cormack (Merton College, 2015-2018)
Isabel Barber (The Queen’s College, 2016-2019)
Cristina Conde Tkatchenko (Merton College, 2015-2019)
Kaitlyn Abrams (St. Catherine’s College, 2017-2018)
Daniel Evans (Kellogg College, 2017-2018)
Felix Taylor (St. Hugh’s College, 2017-2021)
Sarah Robinson (Wadham College, 2018-)
Jan Steinebrunner (St John’s College, 2018-)
Rivers Gambrell (Kellogg College, 2015-2020)
Vincent Jordan (Christ Church, 2018-2021)
Ewan Lynch (Brasenose College, 2018-2021)
Natalie Hill (Balliol College, 2015-2022)
Katarzyna Jaroszewicz (Merton College, 2017-2021)
Emile Okada (Balliol College, 2018-2022)
Mary Whittingdale (Mansfield College, 2019-2022)
Dario Cowdery (Mansfield College, 2019-2022)
David Holroyd (Hertford College, 2019-2022)
Noah Wescombe (St Catherine’s College, 2019-2021)
Kajuli Claeys (Balliol College, 2019-)
Teresa Habib Meriggi (St Anne’s College, 2021-)
Alexander Charters (Worcester College, 2019-)
Fionn Kennedy (Exeter College, 2020-)
Cassie Lloyd Watson (Pembroke College, 2021-)
Lysander Mawby (St Edmund Hall, 2020-)

The Society is running the Vegetarian Norrington Table. We are inviting members of the University, both students and staff, to rate colleges and halls, and to make comments on the quality of current vegetarian and vegan provision. Voting opens on the first day of 1st Week of Trinity Term, 2019, and closes at the end of 7th Week of Michaelmas Term 2019. The results of the voting will be published in 8th Week of Michaelmas Term, 2019. You can vote here.

The inagural table took place in Michaelmas 2016.  See the press release with the results here. Members of the University were invited to vote for the best and worst vegetarian and vegan food in University of Oxford colleges and halls.  To see the full rankings, as well as anonymised comments, and responses from bursars see here.

Trinity Term 2023

Meetings are held at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics
91 Iffley Road, Oxford (opposite the University Sports Centre)

Week 2: Monday 1 May: 8pm
Meeting
Presentation by Mattia Cecchinato (Jesus College) on The Mind that Matters: Degrees of Sentience and Moral Status

Week 4: Monday 15 May: 8pm
Meeting
Presentation by Caius Gibeily (Oriel College) on Beyond the Backbone: Decoding Invertebrate Pain and Suffering

Week 5: Monday 22 May: 8pm
Meeting 
Presentation by Yusef Atta (Wycliffe Hall) on How Sentient AI will Force the Cause of Genuine Equality for Nonhuman Animals

Week 7 or 8: 
End of Term Meal
TBA

Hilary Term 2023

Meetings are held at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics
91 Iffley Road, Oxford (opposite the University Sports Centre)

Week 2: Monday 23 January: 8pm
Meeting
Presentation by Teresa Habib Meriggi (Treasurer) on Animal Rights as a Feminist Issue

Week 4: Monday 6 February: 8pm
Meeting
Presentation by Jonathan Howes (Vice President) on The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Moving Away from Anthropocentrism

Week 6: Monday 20 February: 8pm
Meeting and AGM
Presentation by Anna Wotherspoon (Wadham College) on Challenging the Legal Classification of Animals as Chattels

Week 8: Thursday 9 March: 7pm
End of Term Potluck
Bring and Share Meal

Michaelmas Term 2022

Join us at Freshers’ Fair
Thursday 6 – Friday 7 October in University Parks

For more information about the Society please see our Frequently Asked Questions.

Week 2: Monday 17 October: 8pm
Meeting
Presentation by Professor Andrew Linzey (Emeritus Senior Member) on A Critical Introduction to Animal Rights

Week 4: Monday 31 October: 8pm
Meeting
Presentation by Kajuli Claeys (President) on Animality and Unkindness in Edgar Allan Poe’s “Hopfrog” and Other Stories

Week 6: Monday 14 November: 8pm
Meeting Cancelled

Week 8: 28 November 2022: 7pm
End of Term Dinner at St Anne’s College
RSVP Required

Membership is free and open to all members of the University. For more information, please contact Clair Linzey at depdirector@oxfordanimalethics.com.

For information on previous years’ society meetings please see here.