Dr. Maya Gupta, Vice President of Research
Dr. Maya Gupta is the Vice President of Research for the ASPCA, where she oversees the development and dissemination of cutting-edge applied research on animal cruelty, sheltering, and access to veterinary care. Her work advances evidence-based strategies to improve animal welfare and strengthen human–animal relationships.
Dr. Gupta earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Georgia and her B.A. from Columbia University. Her primary area of expertise is animal cruelty and its intersections with other forms of violence. In her 20+ years in the nonprofit animal welfare sector, she has worked extensively on programs that help human and animal victims of domestic violence reach safety together, and on approaches to assessment and intervention with individuals who harm animals. More broadly, her interests include applying social science and human service approaches to promote animal welfare and improve human–animal relationships.
Before joining the ASPCA, Dr. Gupta served as Executive Director of Ahimsa House, a statewide animal safehouse program for domestic violence victims, and later as Executive Director of the Animals & Society Institute. She is a guest lecturer and clinical supervisor for the University of Tennessee’s Veterinary Social Work and Veterinary Human Support Certificate Programs and a courtesy research assistant professor at Florida International University. She has also taught in the University of Florida’s Veterinary Forensic Sciences Program and the Anthrozoology Master’s Program at Canisius College.
Dr. Gupta is a founding and ongoing steering committee member of both the National Link Coalition and the Section on Human-Animal Interaction in the American Psychological Association. She serves in advisory roles with organizations including the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, Pets for Vets, Humane Alliance of Rescue Trainers, and the Banfield Foundation’s Safer Together Initiative. Her contributions have been recognized with awards such as the ASPCA Angel Award, the Unity Award from the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, and the Family Violence Task Force Member of the Year Award from the Georgia Commission on Family Violence.
Dr. Bailey Eagan, Director of Research
Dr. Bailey Eagan, Ph.D., M.S., is a Director of Research on the Strategy Team at the ASPCA, where she leads applied research initiatives to improve the welfare of shelter animals nationwide. Her work focuses on generating actionable, evidence-driven insights to strengthen sheltering systems and animal welfare practices.
Bailey’s research spans dog behavior rehabilitation, the impact of sound in shelter environments, anxiety-reducing interventions and the use of accessible technologies, such as computer vision to support animal welfare. She brings expertise in quantitative research methods and translating findings into practical tools for the field.
She holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Applied Animal Biology from the University of British Columbia’s Animal Welfare Program and is deeply committed to advancing data-driven strategies that improve the lives of animals in shelters and beyond.
Dr. Sharon Pailler, Director of Research
Dr. Sharon Pailler is a Director of Research at the ASPCA, where she applies social science methods to address complex animal welfare challenges, with a particular focus on farm animal welfare and leveraging existing data for impactful insights.
Sharon has 20 years of experience conducting research in animal welfare, environmental conservation, and international development. She has published in leading journals including Food Policy, JAVMA, and World Development. Prior to joining the ASPCA, she worked as a Social Scientist at World Wildlife Fund, a Research Economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and held roles in humanitarian aid and international development.
She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Clark University, an M.S. in Forest and Natural Resources Management and Policy from SUNY-ESF and an M.P.A. from Syracuse University. Outside of work, Sharon enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and spending time with her cat, Moose.
Dr. Emily Patterson-Kane, Director of Research
Dr. Emily Patterson-Kane is a behavioral psychologist and Director of Research at the ASPCA, specializing in animal welfare science and the ethics of human–animal relationships. Her current work focuses on developing forensic evidence to support the investigation and prosecution of animal cruelty.
Emily holds a Ph.D. in psychology from Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) and has published extensively on animal welfare, public attitudes toward animals, and behavioral science. She is co-author of Rethinking the American Animal Rights Movement (Routledge, 2022) and Animal Welfare Science: An Interdisciplinary Textbook (CRC Press, 2025). Her research reflects a commitment to using science as a tool for justice and compassion for animals.
Dr. Molly Sumridge, Director of Research
Dr. Molly Sumridge, M.S., Ph.D., is a Director of Research at the ASPCA, where they lead national studies on access to veterinary care and the structural factors shaping animal welfare outcomes. Their work emphasizes qualitative research methods and a commitment to representing both human and animal perspectives.
Molly brings 20 years of experience as a canine behavior and shelter consultant and previously served as an Assistant Professor at Carroll College, where they developed an innovative program pairing students with foster dogs to integrate behavioral theory, welfare ethics, and hands-on learning.
They hold an M.S. in Anthrozoology from Canisius College and a PhD in Anthrozoology at the University of Exeter. Molly’s research interests include domestication theory, multispecies ethnography, discourse studies, digital ethnography and access to care. Their lived experience as a neurodivergent and multiply disabled scholar informs their advocacy for inclusive knowledge creation in animal welfare.
Dr. Erin King, Director of Research
Dr. Erin King, Ph.D., M.S., is a Director of Research in the Strategy and Research Department at the ASPCA. She earned both her Doctorate and Master’s degrees from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Her work focuses on advancing veterinary and shelter animal welfare through research on access to care, the human–animal bond, and the application of the Socio-Ecological Model to human–companion animal relationships. She has published in key journals like JAVMA and Journal of Research on Adolescence, as well as written chapters in The Routledge International Handbook of Human-Animal Interactions and Anthrozoology.
Erin brings 10 years of expertise in statistics and quantitative methodology and is driven by a commitment to using rigorous research and data to improve outcomes for animals and the people who care for them.
