Dr Davina Hill

  • Lecturer in Welfare Physiology (Physiology Ageing & Welfare)

telephone: 0141 330 2379
email: Davina.Hill@glasgow.ac.uk

236c Jarrett Building, Garscube, Glasgow, G61 1QH

Import to contacts

ORCID iDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192

Biography

I was appointed Lecturer in Welfare Physiology at the University of Glasgow in November 2019.

I previously worked as Senior Lecturer in Zoology at the University of Cumbria (2016-19), Quantitative Animal Scientist at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC; 2012-16) and National Research Foundation Freestanding Fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand (2010-12).

I am an active mentor for PhD students in my roles as a Postgraduate Research Convenor for SBOHVM and lead for the British Society of Animal Science’s postgraduate statistics workshop since 2013.

Research interests

My research investigates how animals cope with the stresses associated with environmental change, spanning both applied contexts in livestock production and fundamental questions in ecology. A central theme is understanding how physiological, behavioural, energetic, and life-history strategies enable animals to maintain welfare and performance under challenging conditions, with particular attention to the trade‑offs and resource allocation decisions animals must make when faced with competing demands.

From an applied perspective, my work aims to help farming adapt to climate change by improving our understanding of how dairy cows respond to weather‑related stressors, especially around the transition period before and after calving. This period exemplifies the energetic trade‑offs between reproduction, lactation and health. I also investigate how social environments and health challenges interact with these stressors to influence welfare, productivity, feed efficiency, and sustainability.

In parallel, I conduct fundamental research on how climate and thermal environments shape the behaviour, physiology, and life-history strategies of wild species. I focus particularly on socially flexible and hibernating animals, where Alternative Reproductive Tactics and behavioural plasticity may buffer populations against environmental change. I also hold a Visiting Researcher position at the University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg) to investigate hormonal and energetic aspects of sociality in free‑living rodents. Together these studies reveal the trade‑offs and energy allocation strategies that underpin reproduction, resilience and survival in a changing world.

Current themes include

  • Stress, sociality, and disease dynamics in dairy cows
  • Resource allocation strategies in transition cows
  • Effects of climate and urbanisation on hibernation and life history strategies
  • Alternative Reproductive Tactics in rodents
  • Sex differences in parental care

Research groups

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2017 | 2015 | 2014 | 2011 | 2008
Number of items: 17.

2025

Cook, John, Pepler, P. Theo ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2961-6573, Viora, Lorenzo ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8972-1327 and Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192 (2025) Associations Between Daily Lying Times, Transition Cow Management and Early Lactation Health Outcomes in Multiparous Dairy Cows. In: BSAS Annual Conference, Galway, Ireland, 8-10 April 2025,

2024

Cook, J.G., Pepler, P.T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2961-6573, Viora, L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8972-1327 and Hill, D.L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192 (2024) Assessing transition cow management in dairy cows for improved health, milk production, pregnancy and culling outcomes. Journal of Dairy Science, 107(12), pp. 11381-11397. (doi: 10.3168/jds.2024-25047) (PMID:39098491)

Findlay-Robinson, Rachel and Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192 (2024) A systematic scanning method to locate cryptic terrestrial species. MethodsX, 13, 103038. (doi: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.103038) (PMID:39624140) (PMCID:PMC11609314)

Findlay-Robinson, Rachel and Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192 (2024) Hibernation nest site selection but not overwinter activity is associated with microclimatic conditions in a hibernating mammal. Journal of Thermal Biology, 123, 103909. (doi: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2024.103909) (PMID:39084175)

2023

Froidevaux, J. S. P. et al. (2023) A species-level trait dataset of bats in Europe and beyond. Scientific Data, 10, 253. (doi: 10.1038/s41597-023-02157-4) (PMID:37137926) (PMCID:PMC10156679)

Findlay-Robinson, Rachel, Deecke, Volker B., Weatherall, Andrew and Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192 (2023) Effects of climate change on life-history traits in hibernating mammals. Mammal Review, 53(2), pp. 84-98. (doi: 10.1111/mam.12308)

2022

Sania, A. et al. (2022) Rapid antigen testing by community health workers for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Dhaka, Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 12(6), e060832. (doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-060832) (PMID:35649599) (PMCID:PMC9160589)

Chadwick, F. J. et al. (2022) Combining rapid antigen testing and syndromic surveillance improves community-based COVID-19 detection in a low-income country. Nature Communications, 13, 2877. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-30640-w) (PMID:35618714) (PMCID:PMC9135686)

2021

Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192, Pillay, Neville and Schradin, Carsten (2021) Glucocorticoid levels predict subsequent social tactic in females of a facultatively social mammal. Functional Ecology, 35(3), pp. 650-662. (doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.13744)

2017

Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192 and Wall, Eileen (2017) Weather influences feed intake and feed efficiency in a temperate climate. Journal of Dairy Science, 100(3), pp. 2240-2257. (doi: 10.3168/jds.2016-11047) (PMID:28109597)

Griffith, S. C. et al. (2017) Variation in reproductive success across captive populations: methodological differences, potential biases and opportunities. Ethology, 123(1), pp. 1-29. (doi: 10.1111/eth.12576)

2015

Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192, Pillay, Neville and Schradin, Carsten (2015) Alternative reproductive tactics in female striped mice: heavier females are more likely to breed solitarily than communally. Journal of Animal Ecology, 84(6), pp. 1497-1508. (doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.12431) (PMID:26250697)

Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192, Pillay, Neville and Schradin, Carsten (2015) Alternative reproductive tactics in female striped mice: solitary breeders have lower corticosterone levels than communal breeders. Hormones and Behavior, 71, pp. 1-9. (doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.03.004) (PMID:25828632)

Hill, D.L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192 and Wall, E. (2015) Dairy cattle in a temperate climate: the effects of weather on milk yield and composition depend on management. Animal, 9(1), pp. 138-149. (doi: 10.1017/S1751731114002456) (PMID:25315451)

2014

Hill, Davina L., Lindstrom, Jan ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5630-6680, McCafferty, Dominic J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3079-3326 and Nager, Ruedi G. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1129-5724 (2014) Female but not male zebra finches adjust heat output in response to increased incubation demand. Journal of Experimental Biology, 217(8), pp. 1326-1332. (doi: 10.1242/jeb.095323) (PMID:24363422)

2011

Hill, D.L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192, Lindstrom, J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5630-6680 and Nager, R.G. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1129-5724 (2011) Carry-over effects of male extra-pair copulation opportunity on biparental effort in zebra finches. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 65(11), pp. 2049-2059. (doi: 10.1007/s00265-011-1214-2)

2008

Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192, Arañibar-Rojas, H. and MacLeod, R. (2008) Wattled Curassows in Bolivia: abundance, habitat use, and conservation status. Journal of Field Ornithology, 79(4), pp. 345-351.

This list was generated on Fri Dec 26 04:07:30 2025 GMT.
Jump to: Articles | Conference Proceedings
Number of items: 17.

Articles

Cook, J.G., Pepler, P.T. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2961-6573, Viora, L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8972-1327 and Hill, D.L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192 (2024) Assessing transition cow management in dairy cows for improved health, milk production, pregnancy and culling outcomes. Journal of Dairy Science, 107(12), pp. 11381-11397. (doi: 10.3168/jds.2024-25047) (PMID:39098491)

Findlay-Robinson, Rachel and Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192 (2024) A systematic scanning method to locate cryptic terrestrial species. MethodsX, 13, 103038. (doi: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.103038) (PMID:39624140) (PMCID:PMC11609314)

Findlay-Robinson, Rachel and Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192 (2024) Hibernation nest site selection but not overwinter activity is associated with microclimatic conditions in a hibernating mammal. Journal of Thermal Biology, 123, 103909. (doi: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2024.103909) (PMID:39084175)

Froidevaux, J. S. P. et al. (2023) A species-level trait dataset of bats in Europe and beyond. Scientific Data, 10, 253. (doi: 10.1038/s41597-023-02157-4) (PMID:37137926) (PMCID:PMC10156679)

Findlay-Robinson, Rachel, Deecke, Volker B., Weatherall, Andrew and Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192 (2023) Effects of climate change on life-history traits in hibernating mammals. Mammal Review, 53(2), pp. 84-98. (doi: 10.1111/mam.12308)

Sania, A. et al. (2022) Rapid antigen testing by community health workers for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Dhaka, Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 12(6), e060832. (doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-060832) (PMID:35649599) (PMCID:PMC9160589)

Chadwick, F. J. et al. (2022) Combining rapid antigen testing and syndromic surveillance improves community-based COVID-19 detection in a low-income country. Nature Communications, 13, 2877. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-30640-w) (PMID:35618714) (PMCID:PMC9135686)

Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192, Pillay, Neville and Schradin, Carsten (2021) Glucocorticoid levels predict subsequent social tactic in females of a facultatively social mammal. Functional Ecology, 35(3), pp. 650-662. (doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.13744)

Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192 and Wall, Eileen (2017) Weather influences feed intake and feed efficiency in a temperate climate. Journal of Dairy Science, 100(3), pp. 2240-2257. (doi: 10.3168/jds.2016-11047) (PMID:28109597)

Griffith, S. C. et al. (2017) Variation in reproductive success across captive populations: methodological differences, potential biases and opportunities. Ethology, 123(1), pp. 1-29. (doi: 10.1111/eth.12576)

Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192, Pillay, Neville and Schradin, Carsten (2015) Alternative reproductive tactics in female striped mice: heavier females are more likely to breed solitarily than communally. Journal of Animal Ecology, 84(6), pp. 1497-1508. (doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.12431) (PMID:26250697)

Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192, Pillay, Neville and Schradin, Carsten (2015) Alternative reproductive tactics in female striped mice: solitary breeders have lower corticosterone levels than communal breeders. Hormones and Behavior, 71, pp. 1-9. (doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.03.004) (PMID:25828632)

Hill, D.L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192 and Wall, E. (2015) Dairy cattle in a temperate climate: the effects of weather on milk yield and composition depend on management. Animal, 9(1), pp. 138-149. (doi: 10.1017/S1751731114002456) (PMID:25315451)

Hill, Davina L., Lindstrom, Jan ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5630-6680, McCafferty, Dominic J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3079-3326 and Nager, Ruedi G. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1129-5724 (2014) Female but not male zebra finches adjust heat output in response to increased incubation demand. Journal of Experimental Biology, 217(8), pp. 1326-1332. (doi: 10.1242/jeb.095323) (PMID:24363422)

Hill, D.L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192, Lindstrom, J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5630-6680 and Nager, R.G. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1129-5724 (2011) Carry-over effects of male extra-pair copulation opportunity on biparental effort in zebra finches. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 65(11), pp. 2049-2059. (doi: 10.1007/s00265-011-1214-2)

Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192, Arañibar-Rojas, H. and MacLeod, R. (2008) Wattled Curassows in Bolivia: abundance, habitat use, and conservation status. Journal of Field Ornithology, 79(4), pp. 345-351.

Conference Proceedings

Cook, John, Pepler, P. Theo ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2961-6573, Viora, Lorenzo ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8972-1327 and Hill, Davina L. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9085-6192 (2025) Associations Between Daily Lying Times, Transition Cow Management and Early Lactation Health Outcomes in Multiparous Dairy Cows. In: BSAS Annual Conference, Galway, Ireland, 8-10 April 2025,

This list was generated on Fri Dec 26 04:07:30 2025 GMT.

Supervision

Supervision areas

I welcome enquiries from potential research students and postdoctoral scientists with ideas relating to behavioural and physiological responses to environmental change; stress physiology; thermal biology and life history strategies with a view to preparing funding applications. Current or recent study systems include dairy cows and free-living rodents, bats and hedgehogs.

If you would like to study for a PhD in my group, please get in touch outlining a) your proposed research questions, b) why you would like to join this group in particular and c) how you intend to fund your studies. In the UK, PGR students need funding to cover fees, research costs and living costs. This scholarship-finding tool may be helpful. Funding schemes include NERC CASE studentships and Commonwealth Scholarships. Information on applying for PGR (postgraduate research) at the University of Glasgow can be found here. 

I am currently advertising four fully-funded PhD studentships in hibernation ecology based at the University of Glagsow (deadline January 2026): 

NorthWest Bio  

Din in the dark: the effects of anthropogenic noise on hibernation behaviour and physiology in hedgehogs – IAPETUS

MVLS College Futures

University of Glasgow - Scholarships & funding - James McCune Smith PhD Scholarships

 

Current research students

  • Crawford, Katie (external; primary supervisor: Julia Nowack)
    Can behavioural and physiological plasticity help animals to survive in a changing environment?
  • Wright, Melissa (external; primary supervisor: Richard Mort)
    Exploring the genetics of pigmentation in dairy cattle to build resilience to climate-change-induced heat stress 
  • Almulla, Alya Abdalla Sultan Mohamed
    Assessing the effects of climate change on an invasive species, the edible dormouse
  • Cook, John
    Management factors associated with transition success in dairy cows
  • Hodnik, Jaka Jakob
    Effects of temperature, humidity, light levels and air pollution on production output and disease incidence in dairy cows in Scotland

Completed research students

  • Findlay-Robinson, Rachel (PhD 2018-21, lead supervisor)
    Climatic effects on life history in the hazel dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius.

Rachel was co-supervised by Dr Volker Deecke (University of Cumbria) and Dr Andrew Weatherall (RSPB). Rachel is now a Teaching Fellow at the University of Glasgow.

As of December 2025, I have also supervised 1 PhD exchange student, 1 MRes student, 12 MSc students, 2 postgraduate Honours students (South Africa) and 27 BSc Honours students to completion. 

In addition to PGR, I usually supervise three MSc projects in Animal Welfare Science and two BSc Honours projects per year.

Teaching

I am deputy programme lead for MSc Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law and co-ordinate one of its courses:

  • BIOL5422 Assessment of Animal Wellbeing

For the same programme I also contribute to 

  • BOL5115 Animal Welfare Science
  • BIOL5126 Key Research Skills
  • BIOL5134P Research project
  • BIOL5423 Animal Ethics and Law
  • BIOL5333 Care and Enrichment of Animals in a Captive Environment

My undergraduate teaching includes:

Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery

  • Digestion (Year 1) 

BSc Veterinary Bioscience

  • VETSCI1006 Digestive Physiology and Metabolism (Year 1)

I created and lead the annual British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) R and Statistics Workshop (2013 to present), a residential course aimed at PhD students and professional scientists.

In 2019-2023 I was External Examiner at the University of Derby for

  • BSc Zoology (Hons)
  • BSc Biology (Hons)
  • Certificate of Credit in Tropical Marine Biology.

Professional activities & recognition

Editorial boards

  • 2022: Journal of Thermal Biology

Professional & learned societies

  • 2006: Member, Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
  • 2013: Member; R and Statistics Workshop lead, British Society of Animal Science
  • 2016: Member, British Ecological Society
  • 2016: Member, Animal Welfare Research Network
  • 2017: Member, Royal Society of Biology
  • 2017: Fellow, Higher Education Academy / Advance HE
  • 2018: Certified Animal Scientist; Panel member for personal accreditation, British Society of Animal Science
  • 2018: Member, International Society for Behavioral Ecology

Selected international presentations

  • 2025: Wilhelminenberg Seminar (invited speaker) (Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine)
  • 2018: UK-Israel conference on Climate Change and Food Systems (organised by the British Council and the UK Science and Innovation Network), invited speaker and panel chair (Tel Aviv, Israel)
  • 2018: 17th Biennial Congress of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology (contributed talk and invited moderator for Social Behavior) (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA)

Supplementary

  • I created and lead the annual British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) R and Statistics Postgraduate Workshop (2013 to present). Grant reviewer for BBSRC, South Africa’s National Research Foundation and National Geographic. External Examiner for BSc Zoology (Hons), BSc Biology (Hons) and Certificate of Credit in Tropical Marine Biology, University of Derby, UK (2019-2023). Manuscript referee for various international journals, including American Naturalist, Behavioral Ecology, Functional Ecology, Journal of Animal Ecology, Journal of Experimental Biology, Journal of Dairy Science, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: B, Biological Sciences and Royal Society Open Science. External examiner for two MSc. by research dissertations, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (2019).

Research datasets

Jump to: 2024
Number of items: 1.

2024

Findlay-Robinson, R. and Hill, D. (2024) Hibernation nest site selection but not overwinter activity is associated with microclimatic conditions in a hibernating mammal. [Data Collection]

This list was generated on Fri Dec 26 17:10:12 2025 GMT.

Davina Hill, portrait shot

Dr Davina Hill on Twitter