Pippa Morrison is an academic and researcher specializing in equine health. Her areas of interest are obesity and metabolic diseases in horses and the role played by nutrition and the microbiota. She also works in higher education.

Morrison earned a BSc (Hons) in Sports and Exercise Science from the University of Aberdeen in 2011. She undertook her doctoral studies at the University of Liverpool. From 2011 to 2015, Morrison completed her PhD with “Equine Obesity: Concepts and Mechanisms.” This multidisciplinary project, funded by the Waltham Petcare Institute, combined molecular laboratory techniques with questionnaire-based research to investigate the impacts of obesity on gene expression in horses. It also explored perceptions of equine obesity among UK horse owners and managers.

Following her doctoral work, Morrison held a postdoctoral research position at the University of Surrey. During this time, she managed a complex Home Office-licensed project examining the effects of controlled dietary interventions on the gastrointestinal microflora of normal, obese, and aged ponies.

In August 2018, Morrison joined SRUC Aberdeen as a research fellow and lecturer, further developing her expertise in equine health and nutrition. She was appointed senior lecturer at the School of Veterinary Medicine, SRUC, in March 2023. In this role, she is part of the academic team responsible for developing and delivering the curriculum for the school’s inaugural class of veterinary students, set to begin in the 2024/25 academic year.

Morrison has supervised PhD students Ashley Ward, who successfully completed her doctorate in 2023, and another student set to submit her thesis in 2024. Both of these projects focused on pasture-associated laminitis in native-breed ponies. Morrison’s supervisory experience also includes both undergraduate and Master’s-level dissertations.

In 2022, Morrison obtained a PgCert in Tertiary and Higher Education from the University of Highlands and Islands.

Morrison grew up with horses and has ridden since youth but does not own a horse at the moment. Instead, she stays busy caring for three young children and a cocker spaniel.

Click this link to see Morrison’s recent research.