Image
Headshot of Brian Greco

Brian J. Greco, Ph.D.

he/him

Assistant Professor

Location

Decary 331
Biddeford Campus

I am an academic who is passionate about helping students learn skills in critical thinking, creative problem solving, and empathy. My pedagogical philosophy merges inclusive design and critical pedagogy with my expertise in animal behavior, cognition, and learning theory.

Credentials

Education

Ph.D. - Animal Biology
University of California, Davis
2016
M.S. - Biology
California State University, San Marcos
2011
B.S. - Biology
University of California, Davis
2003
B.A. - Fine Arts
University of California, Davis
2003

Expertise

  • Animal behavior

Post-Doctoral Training

Principle Animal Welfare Scientist with AWARE Institute (2014 - Present)

Research

Current research

My current research focuses gaining a better understanding of the welfare and cognitive skills of zebrafish.  I also continue to collaborate with zoos and aquaria on in-situ assessments of welfare and applications to exhibit design. 

Selected publications

Meehan C.L., Greco B.J., Lynn, B.L., Morfeld, K., Vicino, G., Orban, D., Gorsuch, C., Quick, M., Ripple, L., Fournier, K. Moore, D.  (2019)  The Elephant Welfare Initiative: a model for community-driven evidence-based zoo animal-welfare monitoring, assessment, and enhancement.  International Zoo Yearbook, 53. DOI: 10.1111/izy.12222

Greco B. J., Meehan, C.L., Heinsius, J. L., Mench J.A. (2017) Why Pace? The influence of social, housing, management, life history, and demographic characteristics on locomotor stereotypy in zoo elephants.  Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 194 104-111.  DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2017.05.003 

Rossman R.T., Hart, B.L., Greco B.J., Young D., Padfield C., Weidner L., Gates J., Hart L.A.(2017) When yawning occurs in elephants.  Frontiers in Veterinary Science 4:22.  DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2017.00022

Greco B.J., Meehan C.L, Miller L.J., Shepherdson D.J., Morfeld K.A., Posta B., Andrews J.A., Baker A.M., Carlstead K., Mench J.A. (2016) Elephant management in North American zoological facilities: environmental enrichment, feeding, exercise, and training.  PLoS One. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0152490

Greco B.J., Meehan C.L., Hogan J.A., Leighty K.A., Mellen J.D., Mason G.J., Mench J.A.(2016).  The days and nights of zoo elephants: using epidemiology to better understand the factors that contribute to stereotypic behavior.  PLoS One. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0144276

Greco B., Brown T., Swaisgood R., Andrews J., Caine N. (2013).  Social Learning in Captive African Elephants (Loxodonta africana africana).  Animal Cognition, 16:3 445-458.  DOI 10.1007/s10071-012-0586-7 

Research interests

I am an ethologist who addresses theoretical and applied topics using interdisciplinary approaches. Over the course of my 14-year academic career, I focused most of my efforts toward zoo animal research, within three interrelated themes: welfare epidemiology, animal cognition, and in-situ assessments of welfare, and how those can be applied to exhibit design.