Olatz Aranceta-Reboredo, board member of the UPF-CAE, is currently on a research stay in Liverpool (UK) until the 22nd of December 2023. The three-month stay is dedicated to the advancement of their ongoing PhD research titled "Compassion In (S)Pain: How Interest Groups Contribute to the Perpetuation of Animal Captivity and Exhibition", and it is conducted with the support and supervision of professor Claire Parkinson at Edge Hill University (EHU). During this period, Olatz will engage in sharing and discussing their research findings with members of the Center for Human Animal Studies (CfHAS) and fellow PhD students within the doctoral program at EHU, and will also be working on a publication of the research conducted during the visit.

Their primary research focus revolves around the examination of the discourse prevalent in the lobbies of the animal-based entertainment industry in Spain. The investigation is structured around three pivotal research lines: (i) The study of key interest groups within the industry, (ii) The critical discourse analysis of their discourse, and (iii) The analysis of the networks of the industries. This critical analysis is part of the COMPASS research project, led by professor Núria Almiron. The expertise of CfHAS members in the domains of animal representations, sociological implications—and their intersections with gender and cultural studies—are proving to be greatly valuable for the development of the study.

In addition to the activities at Edge Hill University, Olatz will also be visiting members of the Animal Think Tank in Lancaster towards the end of their stay.