Dr Gareth Arnott's research focuses on three key areas;

Animal contest behaviour: Understanding the information-gathering and decision-making processes underlying aggressive interactions, working with a range of animal species including vertebrates and invertebrates. Additional behavioural topics being addressed include: animal cognition, personality, and lateralization.

Animal welfare: Minimising aggression in captive environments to improve welfare. E.g. using early life socialisation to reduce aggression during later life regrouping in pigs. Other welfare topics being addressed include: the importance of play behaviour, using novel techniques to better understand animal emotion, examining dairy cow welfare and the welfare of dogs in commercial breeding environments.

Animal welfare sensor development: Working with industry partners to develop a next generation farm animal welfare and performance sensor.