Career Conversation: From Science to Policy — A Talk with Giulia Malerbi
What does it take to turn animal welfare science into decisions that actually stick, in governments, institutions, and international bodies?
In this career conversation, we speak with Giulia Malerbi, Head of Global Policy at the Aquatic Life Institute (ALI), an organisation working to improve welfare outcomes for aquatic animals at scale. Giulia's work sits at a challenging intersection: making the science legible to policymakers, building coalitions across very different actors, and pushing for systemic change in spaces that have historically ignored aquatic animal welfare entirely.
Her path has taken her from the University of Pisa (Animal Breeding Techniques) to the University of Glasgow (Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law) to Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland (Animal Law). Few people have deliberately assembled a profile like that and we want to understand why she did, and what she learned along the way.
We'll be covering:
How Giulia thinks about impact pathways in the animal welfare space, and what "success" looks like
What it means in practice to support governments and institutions in embedding animal welfare into decision-making
Her best advice for anyone early in their journey and how students can contribute meaningfully
Who is this for? Anyone curious about careers at the science-policy interface - whether in animal welfare, environmental policy, or adjacent fields. No prior knowledge of aquatic animal welfare required!
The format is a moderated conversation followed by open Q&A. Come with questions.