Melanie Joy, PhD, is a psychologist specializing in the psychology of oppression and social transformation and in relationships. She is a long-time advocate for justice, and was a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, for 11 years, where she taught courses on privilege and oppression, feminist psychology, psychological trauma, and animal rights. Her work has helped explain why individuals and institutions engage in behaviours that harm other people, animals, the planet, and themselves--as well as how to change this pattern.

Joy is the award-winning author of seven books, including the bestselling Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows and Getting Relationships Right, and she's the eighth recipient of the Ahimsa Award--previously given to the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela--for her work on global nonviolence. She is also an internationally recognized speaker and trainer who's presented her work in 50 countries across six continents, and she's the founding president of the charitable organization Beyond Carnism. You can learn more about her work at carnism.org