Annie Valuska, PhD

Dr. Annie Valuska brings over 20 years of animal behavior experience to her role as a Principal Scientist on Purina’s Pet Behavior team. After a variety of undergraduate research experiences at Kenyon College, Dr. Annie received her PhD in Animal Behavior from the University of California, Davis, then went on to serve as the Post-Doctoral Behavior Research Fellow at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Since joining Purina in 2013, Dr. Annie has gotten to use her expertise to serve as the “voice of the pet,” ensuring that the needs of cats and dogs are kept top of mind in all of Purina’s products and outreach efforts. Her passion for pets extends into her personal life – she is an award-winning animal shelter volunteer and board member and currently has a rescued pit bull/shih tzu mix (Arya), a beagle (Bubblegum), and black cat (Jack) sharing her home in St. Louis, MO. Dr. Annie has been interviewed for numerous podcasts, TV news stories, and articles, and can also be found on TikTok and Instagram (@annieknowsanimals)!