Dr. Kelsea Brown specializes in companion animal behavior and welfare, with an emphasis on shelter settings. Kelsea earned her Ph.D. in Animal Science from Texas Tech University, and has an educational background in Psychology; in 2011 she earned a BS in Psychobiology from UCLA, and in 2014 an MA in Experimental Psychology from San Jose State University. 

Dr. Brown has explored several areas of research including the reliability and validity of canine behavior evaluations and sociability assessments; the relationship between sociability and health in a shelter; vaccine efficacy during a shelter-wide Canine Distemper epidemic; and adoption event best practices. Generally, Kelsea is interested in facilitating and improving the human-animal bond, from increasing adoptions and live-release rates, to humane training methods, to eliminating discriminatory practices in animal sheltering and pet services. Dr. Brown loves teaching and connecting with students, particularly when she can inspire a passion in the research process or introduce students to a new area of interest. 

Outside of teaching and research, Kelsea loves watching baseball, cooking vegetarian meals, and making use of her Chicago Library Card. She spends her days with her husband, two dogs, two cats, and a great pub trivia team.