A social scientist by training, Stasha’s research interests centre around human-animal interactions, the lived emotional experiences of persons living with extraordinary conditions, and persons who are care-givers (of both humans and non-human animals). Her masters dissertation investigated the lived experiences of street-level bureaucrats involved in care work. Its findings draw from extensive ethnographic fieldwork with a team of officers implementing Singapore’s nationwide Trap-Neuter-Release-Manage programme, a public service aimed at the humane control of Singapore’s stray dog population.

From 2014 to 2020, Stasha was the coordinator for SOSD’s Healing Paws, an animal-assisted activities initiative run by a local animal welfare charity, SOSD. At its peak, Healing Paws comprised over 75 volunteer teams serving the beneficiaries of up to 11 different partner organisations on a monthly basis. During that time, Stasha also served on the managing committee of SOSD, first as its Secretary and then as Head of Department for Education and Outreach.