MsSandra Nicholson

Sandra Louise Nicholson is Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Veterinary Nursing at UCD. She is a qualified veterinarian with experience in both mixed and small animal practice. She is also one of the few veterinarians in the Republic of Ireland that hold postgraduate animal behaviour qualifications (Master’s Degree in Applied Animal Behaviour and Training from Bishop Burton College; MSc. AABT).

Sandra is passionate about helping people to understand other animals and her research to date reflects this. Her past projects have focused on canine behaviour and welfare (stress in dogs with chronic illnesses), feline behaviour and welfare (feline emotional signalling; veterinary professionals' understanding of common feline behavioural issues), and veterinary nurse education (teaching veterinary nursing students how to interpret animal emotions). She also collaborated with academics in the UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems on research into animal- assisted interventions in the children's hospital. She is open to research collaborations (including interdisciplinary collaborations) in animal behaviour, animal welfare/one welfare, human-animal interactions, and veterinary nurse education. She is currently involved in the EU COST action AFFECT-Evo; An Evolutionary View to Understanding Affective States across Species. In collaboration with a Veterinary Medicine student, she is also completing research on "Veterinary students' ideas about how to promote their use of feline friendly practices."

Sandra is an award-winning lecturer, having won a UCD College of Health and Agricultural Science Teaching Excellence Award in 2020. In 2021, she completed the UCD Professional Diploma in University Teaching and Learning. Sandra believes that a growth mindset is essential to a successful and fulfilling career in veterinary nursing. Therefore, she aims to create an inclusive and safe classroom community to allow students to build their competencies and learn from their mistakes. When teaching, Sandra applies constructivist and cognitive theories of learning by using learning activities and promoting self and peer assessment when possible. She is currently stage two coordinator for the UCD BSc. Veterinary Nursing programme. She teaches and coordinates two Veterinary Nursing modules (Veterinary Medical Nursing and Animal Behaviour and Welfare) and also contributes to teaching in other modules within the school. Sandra served as an External Examiner for Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) Athlone, from 2022-2026 inclusive.

Sandra is also keen to share her knowledge and skills with the wider community. She is a co-founder and owner of the YouTube channel "Irish Veterinary Behaviour Community", which aims to assemble, curate, and share resources to support Irish Veterinary professionals and their clients in managing animal behaviour. She would welcome video submissions for this from other interested veterinary professionals. In 2024, as part of a team, Sandra won the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine's "Dean's Inclusion Award" for an activity in the 2023 UCD Festival (an an emotions game) that was welcoming and inclusive to neurodivergent individuals. She is a member of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Advisory Council for Companion Animal Welfare (ACCAW). In addition, she serves on the assessment panel of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) Ireland. 

Due to her awareness of the interconnections between animal, human, and planetary wellbeing, she champions sustainability. Sandra is an active member of the Vet Sustain Currriculum Working Group and the School of Veterinary Medicine Sustainability Committee. In 2026, she designed and delivered a new tutorial entitled "Sustainable Veterinary Nursing Practice" to stage 2 BSc Veterinary Nursing students, as a first step in introducing the topic to the curriculum. She also presented on this initiative at the Vet Ed conference in Keele University in July 2026.