Victoria Gaia had recently joined the Animal Welfare Program from the end of the summer of 2024 until the beginning of 2025 as a visiting international research student. Visiting students contribute to the exchange of ideas throughout the program, conducting their own research work while also engaging in activities with students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty during their time. Learn about Victoria’s research interests and how they intersect with the AWP!
Victoria was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, where she completed her Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of São Paulo in 2022. Early in her studies, she took on an internship at the Ruminant Clinic at her university, where she developed a deep passion for working with cattle and small ruminants—an experience that has influenced her career path.
Throughout her undergraduate studies, she actively participated in the Animal Welfare Study Group, which fueled her interest and inspired further exploration in this field. Victoria completed several other practices focusing on ruminant health and animal welfare, including a key curricular internship at the University of Hannover’s Cattle Clinic in Germany.
After graduating, Victoria began her Master’s degree at the University of São Paulo, conducting a research project on utilizing artificial intelligence for lameness assessment in dairy cows — a project that is still ongoing. As part of her academic journey, she was a visiting international research student at The University of British Columbia, where she spent six months with the AWP team. Here, she gained valuable experience in animal welfare science as applied to Canadian farms, while exploring new methods for assessing cattle lameness.
In the first few months, she attended an audit training at the UBC dairy farm, participated in talks, meetings and classes, got involved in new projects and joined study group discussions. Funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Victoria is grateful for the opportunity to learn and work with such a renowned group. Her time at UBC offered a unique chance to learn from leading experts in animal welfare and to foster collaborations between research groups, further enriching her understanding and approach to this essential field.