Nieky van Veggel

Senior Lecturer in Animal Health
Faculty:
Faculty of Science and Engineering
School:
Writtle School of Agriculture, Animal and Environmental Sciences
Location:
Writtle
Research Supervision:
Yes

Nieky's main areas of focus are on veterinary social science, human-animal interactions and evidence-based animal health methods, and enhancing graduate professionalism.

[email protected]

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Background

After earning a degree in Agriculture & Biotechnology, specialising in Animal Health, Nieky completed an MSc in Animal Biology and Welfare and joined Writtle University College in 2010. He later obtained a Doctor of Education from Anglia Ruskin University, focusing on evidence-based practice in higher education.

Nieky's career has spanned course leadership at various levels, including leading Stage 2 of the Professional Doctorate in Health and Social Care, and significant projects like OneWelfare focused research projects and international development collaborations through Erasmus+ and DAAD.

Following the merger of Writtle University College and Anglia Ruskin University in 2024, Nieky continues to focus on veterinary social science, human-animal interactions and evidence-based animal health methods, and enhancing graduate professionalism. He co-leads the ARU Grounded Theory Network and hosts the Grounded Theory Unbound podcast.

Spoken Languages
  • Dutch
  • German
  • English
Research interests
  • OneWelfare, or the intersection of animal welfare and human wellbeing
  • Leadership in higher education settings
  • Grounded Theory methodology development
Areas of research supervision
  • Human-Animal interactions
  • Evidence-based practice
  • Higher education leadership
  • Animal health science
Teaching
Qualifications
  • EdD in Evidence-based Programme Leadership, Anglia Ruskin University
  • PG Cert in Higher Education Practice, University of Essex
  • MSc in Animal Biology and Welfare, University of Essex
  • Bachelor in Agriculture and Biotechnology (Animal Health), Ghent University College, Belgium
Memberships, editorial boards
  • Fellow, Royal Society of Biology
  • Chartered Biologist, Royal Society of Biology
  • Registered Scientist, The Science Council
  • Fellow, Advance HE
Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange
  • ARU Safe and Inclusive Communities grant for Preparing for Assistance Dog Retirement project, PI, £9,500, 2024
  • ARU Participatory Research Fund grant for Preparing for Assistance Dog Retirement project, PI, £9,500, 2024
  • ARU Health, Performance & Wellbeing Fund grant for creative research methods for investigating disability project, Co-I, £3,700, 2023
  • UKRI HE Innovation Fund – Enabling future sow nutrition research to include an investigation of the impact of a probiotic registered to be used in pigs has on the microbiome, Co-I, £28,000, 2022
  • Kemin Europa N.V. commercial funding – Effects of alternatives to Zinc Oxide on the performance of piglets during post weaning period, Co-I, £23,500, 2021
  • Erasmus+ KA2 funding – From Theoretical-Oriented to Practical Education in Agrarian Studies (TOPAS) 585603-EPP-1-2017-1-DE-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP WP-2: Student centred Learning, Teaching and Assessment (2017-2020), Co-I, €977,963, 2017
  • Writtle College Learning and Teaching Fund Grant for Research into the use of video to support undergraduate students, Co-I, £1,000, 2017
  • Writtle University College Staff Development Fund grant for undertaking doctoral research (2016-2022), £16,000, 2016
  • UKFFoST John Hawthorn Memorial Prize, £500, 2014
  • SfAM Research Development Fund Grant to support bench fees for a postgraduate research student in my food packaging microbiology research group, PI, £2,500, 2014
  • SfAM Students into Work Grant to provide a bursary and bench fees for a recent graduate to work on a project related to my food packaging microbiology research programme, PI, £2,500, 2014
  • UKFFoST John Coppock Award to support attendance and presentation at the 2014 IUFoST World Congress in Montreal, Canada. £1,000, 2014
  • SfAM Scientific Meeting Attendance Grant to support attendance at the 2014 SfAM Summer Conference in Brighton, UK, £300, 2014
  • Writtle College Learning and Teaching Fund Grant for research into student numeracy and the efficacy of mathematics tutorial services, PI, £1,200, 2012
Selected recent publications

Goldspink, S., van Veggel, N. and Engward, H. (2024). Reflexive advocacy: The role of the interviewer in presuppositional interviews in qualitative research. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 12(1). DOI: 10.56433/jpaap.v12i1.596

van Veggel, N., Allison, J., Goldspink, S., and Engward, H. (2024). The presuppositional interview as a means of transparent reflexive practice in grounded theory. Methodological Innovations, 17(1), pp. 31–40. DOI: 10.1177/20597991231212236

van Veggel, N., Howlett, P., and Engward, H. (2023). Investigating Higher Education course leadership practice – an argument for using Grounded Theory. Advanced Education, 11(23), 104-118. DOI: 10.20535/2410-8286.288558

van den Akker, O., Peters, G.-J., Bakker, C., Carlsson, R., Coles, N., Corker, K., Feldman, G., Mellor, D., Moreau, D., Nordström, T., Pfeiffer, N., Pickering, J., Riegelman, A., Topor, M., van Veggel, N. and Yeung, S.K. (2023). Increasing the transparency of systematic reviews: Presenting a generalized registration form. Systematic Reviews, 12(1), 170. DOI: 10.1186/s13643-023-02281-7

van Veggel, N. (2023). Finding balance through compromising. A grounded theory explaining evidence-based practice by course leaders in a small-specialist land-based higher education institution. EdD thesis. Anglia Ruskin University. DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.23624601.v2

Durrant, S., Austen, K., Burns, S., Dick, S., Carrington, S., Gosling, J., Barnes, C., Read, S., Cratchley, M., van Veggel, N., Godfrey-Faussett, T., Kay-Moyle, J., Agamova, O., Rose, J. and Hackett, S. (2023). Teaching overseas. In: Gibson, Morgan and Brett (eds.) Primary Teacher Solutions. London: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781003218098-14

van Veggel, N. and Oxley, J. (2018). In Dogs, Does Feeding Raw Dietary Treats Reduce or Prevent Periodontal Disease? Veterinary Evidence, 3(3). DOI: 10.18849/ve.v3i3.153

van Veggel, N. and Howlett, P. (2018). Course leadership in small specialist UK higher education – a review. International Journal of Educational Management, 32(7), 1174-1183. DOI: 10.1108/IJEM-09-2017-0250

Taylor, E. and van Veggel, N. (2018). In adult dogs, does feeding a raw food diet alter urine composition more negatively than a kibble diet? Veterinary Evidence, 3(2). DOI: 10.18849/ve.v3i2.155

van Veggel, N. (2017). Evidence-based professionalism in small specialist HE course management – reflexive thoughts on ongoing research. Work Based Learning e-Journal, 7(1), 1-19

van Veggel, N. (2017). "But it worked for my mother's cat". Some common misconceptions about anecdotal evidence. Veterinary Nursing Journal, 32(8), 239-240. DOI: 10.1080/17415349.2017.1330129

van Veggel, N. and Armstrong, M. (2017). In dogs with periodontal disease is feeding a complete raw meat diet more effective than a complete kibble 'dental' diet at reducing periodontal disease? Veterinary Evidence, 2(2). DOI: 10.18849/ve.v2i2.88

van Veggel, N. (2017). Using a mixed methods approach to evaluate undergraduate performance and opinion: the effect of maths tutorials on student maths confidence and academic performance. SAGE Research Methods Cases, 2. DOI: 10.4135/9781473998940

van Veggel, N. (2017). Reporting research. Veterinary Record, 180(3), 78. DOI: 10.1136/vr.j321

van Veggel, N. and Amory, J. (2014). The impact of maths support tutorials on mathematics confidence and academic performance in a cohort of HE Animal Science students. PeerJ, 2, e463. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.463

Leenaars, M., Hooijmans, C.R., van Veggel, N., ter Riet, G., Leeflang, L., Hooft, L., van der Wilt, G.J., Tillema, A. and Ritskes-Hoitinga, M. (2012). A step-by-step guide to systematically identify preclinical studies. Laboratory Animals, 46, 24-31. DOI: 10.1258/la.2011.011087

Recent presentations and conferences

Hands, R., Sargeant, E., van Veggel, N., Amory, J.R., Nieto, R. and Chikunya, S. (2023). Effects of replacing zinc oxide with a combination of β-glucan, Bacillus subtilis PB6 and formic acid on the performance of weaner pigs (108). Animal Science – Proceedings, 14, 365

van Veggel, N., Howlett, P. and Engward, H. (2022). Finding balance through compromising. A grounded theory explaining evidence-based practice by course leaders in a small-specialist land-based higher education institution. BELMAS Annual Conference 2022, The Hilton, Liverpool, 8-10 July 2022

van Veggel, N. (2022). Finding balance through compromising. A grounded theory explaining evidence-based practice by course leaders in a small-specialist land-based higher education institution. We Are PGR! The 16th Annual ARU Postgraduate Research Conference, Online, 7 June 2022. LINK

Matthews, H. and van Veggel, N. (2021). Developing graduates for an innovative and modern agricultural sector. Development issues of innovative economy in the agricultural sector, 385-387

Randall, E.F. and van Veggel, N. (2020). Is there a wild animal welfare emergency facilitated by negative linguistic framing in wildlife population control studies? Proceedings, 4. DOI: 10.3390/IECA2020-08828

van Veggel, N. and Matthews, H. (2019). Promoting Modern Teaching in Agricultural Sciences at Universities in Countries of the Former Soviet Union. Filling gaps and removing traps for sustainable resource management, 915

Media experience

Host of the Grounded Theory Unbound podcast.