Alberto Palmonari_{Associate Professor}

Involved in in several research projects, mainly focused in rumen metabolism and microbiology. 

Responsible of the Department’s laboratory of G.I. tract microbiology and feedstuff chemical analysis for animal nutrition. 

Became associate professor in October 2021. 

Andrew Crump_Lecturer

Andrew joined the RVC in February 2023, as a part-time Lecturer in Animal Cognition and Welfare. He also works part-time as a Postdoctoral Researcher in Animal Sentience at the London School of Economics, a role he began full-time in 2020. He has experience working on various species, including macaques, dogs, cattle, chickens, hermit crabs, and bees.

In 2021, Andrew was part of a team, led by Prof. Jonathan Birch, that advised the UK government to protect certain invertebrates under animal welfare law. The government responded by amending the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022, so it now covers cephalopod molluscs and decapod crustaceans.

Andrew’s background is in biology. He completed a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast in 2020, supervised by Dr. Gareth Arnott and Dr. Emily Bethell. His thesis focused on animal behaviour and welfare. In 2016, he was awarded a first-class degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford.

A champion of open and reproducible science, Andrew is the RVC's Local Network Lead for the UK Reproducibility Network. He also serves on the Animal Welfare Research Network's Coordinating Group and is an Affiliate of the Insect Welfare Research Society.

Aurelie Aubry_{Higher Scientific Officer}

I am working on a range of scientific projects at the AFBI Sheep Unit, aimed at improving the sustainability of sheep production systems in Northern Ireland by improving efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, minimizing adverse impacts to the environment (e.g. by improving biodiversity in the uplands). To do so, I am using a range of approaches including the use of calorimetric chambers at AFBI, the investigation of different breeding and feeding strategies using the sheep herd at Hillsborough as well as the animals from more than 10 lowland and hill sheep farms, as part of several on-farm research projects.

Bridget Emmett_President

Bridget is UKCEH's Science Area Head for Soils and Land Use (SLU) which involves leadership and management of more than 100 research staff and 40 postgraduate students across three UKCEH sites.  Research in the SLU team tackle urgent challenges such as the need for cleaner air, more sustainable land management practices, restoring soil health, climate mitigation as well as developing new opportunities for policy and business such as green finance and net zero across many habitats from agricultural land to upland, coastal and urban systems.  Bridget’s current research is often as the lead for projects requiring the coordination of a large number of partners to improve integration across different disciplines and sectors from catchment/landscape to national scale to improve the evidence base and support national policy development and outcome reporting in the areas of e.g. soil health, ecosystem services, agri-environment schemes and natural capital.

Bridget was awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her Services to Soil and Ecosystem Sciences in 2023; the Marsh Award for her Climate Change Research by the British Ecological Society in 2016 and was one of the team awarded the AGI Award for Geospatial Excellence in 2014. She has an H index of 57 and has a publication record with 10,945 citations. She served as the Specialist Adviser for the UK Parliamentary Inquiry into Soil Health in 2016 and was a Member of the EU Mission Board on Soil Health and Food and member 2019-2022.

Christina Marley_Reader

Dr Christina Marley is a Reader of Agricultural Systems and leads the Animal Systems Research Group at IBERS, Aberystwyth University. Research interests include the use of pasture-based ruminant systems – aiming to optimise the use of forages to improve animal health and productivity, whilst protecting the underlying soil.

Colin Smith_{Chief Executive}

A BSc Hons Agriculture graduate from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Colin has accumulated significant experience within the agriculture industry to date. Colin began his career as a Senior Policy Officer for the Ulster Farmers’ Union before moving to LMC in 2012. As a member of LMC’s senior management team, over the last 12 years he has managed a range of portfolios within LMC, including the education programme, marketing activities, Farm Quality Assurance Scheme and the broader industry development remit.

David Ewing_{Senior Statistical Scientist in Animal Health and Welfare}

My role is split between the management and provision of statistical consultancy and support to researchers at the Moredun Research Institute and the development of mathematical and statistical modelling approaches with applications principally in animal health and welfare but also more widely in ecology and epidemiology. I am experienced in the design and analysis of studies relating to animal health and welfare, and experiments, surveys and observational studies involving livestock on research farms and real farms, using both statistical and mathematical modelling techniques. Much of my consultancy work involves applying linear mixed models or generalised linear mixed models to complex experimental or observational data including animal health measurements and animal behaviour but I also use other statistical methods as appropriate to the objectives of projects.  I have a particular interest in the development of stage-structured life cycle models of disease vectors, parasites and plant pests.

David Levick_Director

David currently works across the UK. David's areas of expertise include dairy business strategy, genetics and nutrition consultancy with high performance herds. He is also working closely with several milk processors, strategically and with their farmer suppliers. 

David is a member of the Kite board and is responsible for the Advance Sourcing side of the business.

David Wilde_{National Ruminant Technical Manager}

David is the National Ruminant Technical Manager with the Massey Harpers Feeds Group.  His role involves providing training and technical support for the sales teams, feed formulation, forage analysis and coordinating trials.  He is involved with the AIC Forage Analysis Assurance Group, the Feed Advisor Register and part of the CIEL Ruminant open innovation group. David has extensive experience in the animal feed industry, having worked for premix companies, feed additive manufacturers and the compound feed sector, working closely with farmers, nutritionists, consultants, academics and veterinarians.  He is a visiting lecturer at the University of Nottingham and Harper Adams University.

Eleri Thomas_{Future Policy and Project Development Executive}

Eleri currently works at Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) - Meat Promotion Wales as a Future Policy and Project Development Executive. Her previous role at HCC was a Meat Quality Executive leading the Welsh Lamb Meat Quality Project. She completed a PhD in 2015 in collaboration with Innovis and Dalehead Foods investigating “Carcase, meat and nutritional quality of lamb sired by high and low muscle density rams”. 

Her current role involves organisation representation, consultation reviews, project design and bids, project management and evaluating results. She works across the breadth of the red meat sector, ensuring effective delivery and future project development. Eleri and her husband also keep Welsh Black cattle and Brecknock Hill Cheviot sheep.

Elizabeth Magowan_{BSAS President | Director of Sustainable Agri-Food Sciences}

Prof Elizabeth Magowan is the Director of Sustainable Agri-Food Sciences Division in the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Northern Ireland. Elizabeth completed a PhD in dairy nutrition from Queen’s University Belfast (with DARD Science Service and ARINI) in 2004 and joined AFBI as a pig research scientist in 2003, where she was responsible for developing the AFBI pig research programme until April 2017. Elizabeth’s main focus of research was on optimising pig production performance through management and nutritional strategies, while reducing environmental impact. Elizabeth then took up the post of Director of Sustainable Agri-Food Sciences Division in May 2017. 

Elizabeth has worked extensively on industry/academic studies and presented her work across the UK and at international conferences, as well as publications in journals. In 2017, she was awarded BSAS’s Sir John Hammond Award, in recognition of her scientific work in collaboration with industry. In 2022 Queens University Belfast awarded Elizabeth an Honorary Professorship in recognition of her scientific work, especially aligned with developing the AFBI/QUB strategic alliance. Some achievements during Elizabeth’s career include being the scientific Co-Ordinator of a large EU FP7 project ECO-FCE, being elected to the presidential team of BSAS; being a Director of UK Centre of Excellence for Livestock (CIEL) in its formative months and leading consortia formed of academics across the UK on two influential publications, funded by CIEL, aligned with Livestock and it’s net zero position.

Emily Hancock_Student

Emily will present her work at the British Society of Animal Science Annual Conference in Belfast 9-11th April. President Magowan says "this is a great opportunity for any animal scientist, especially for a young scientist who can share their work in a supportive environment. As career scientists, we all remember those early days of presenting our research and very much look forward to hearing about Emily's work and supporting her where we can".

Interview with Undergraduate Thesis of The Year Award (UTOTYA 2023) winner - Emily Hancock

How does it feel to be the winner of the BSAS Undergraduate Thesis of The Year Award?

To put it simply, unbelievable. I never, in a million years, thought that after the year I’ve had that my work would have been good enough to win something as big as this and it just goes to show that a bit of hard work and determination goes a long way and really does pay off in the end.

I did a project that was a little bit out there for me, I don’t come from a dairy background and thought this would be a good change from my norm. I really enjoyed this project and became fascinated in what I was researching and this made me want to enter to share my work so hopefully other people would also be as interested as I was in something that could bring the dairy industry on leaps and bounds in terms of tackling climate change.

What affect do you feel winning the UTOTYA has had on your current and future career aspirations, and are there any other benefits from entering that you would like to tell us about?

Currently I have taken myself out of education. I have earned myself a Bachelors of Science Degree with Honours in Agricultural and Livestock Sciences and for me right at this moment in my life that is enough. I personally have had a very hectic year and I am currently just working within the agricultural industry and now applying what theory I have learnt which is a nice change and is reminding me why I aspired to work in this industry in the first place. This award has definitely made me reconsider re-entering education and possibly looking at a PhD in my future, most likely in a similar field as to my already completed thesis. I think it has once again piqued my interest in looking for organic and environmentally friendly ways in reducing the carbon footprint of the agricultural industry.

You won the UTOTYA for your dissertation titled: “Effect of oregano oil on milk yield, methane emissions and feed efficiency of dairy cows”. Can you tell us a bit more about the focus of your fascinating study and its findings?

When trying to find an original topic to compose a thesis on you may find yourself hitting a lot of brick walls and thinking that everything, everywhere has been covered. However, I was walking across campus one day and heard a group of my peers talking about a study they had looked at the vaguely looked at essential oils reducing methane emissions of cattle and from there on I began to research and ended up down a rabbit hole on Google scholar reading papers and articles about how these essential oils did in fact reduce methane emissions, some more than others, with most of these papers only brushing over the effect of oregano oil and that is where my fascination began. I started questioning why wasn’t oregano being looked at more in detail for its effects on dairy cows and decided this was the direction my thesis was going to go. And to briefly brush over my study I discovered that in different quantities, oregano oil had different effects. With it having a good antimicrobial quality to it, oregano oil works fantastically to inhibit fermentation in the rumen and therefore is an excellent methane mitigation strategy. Also, with oregano oil being more palatable than other organic methane reducing options, it means there is no effect on dry matter intake and therefore has no effect on milk yield and feed efficiency.

Are you looking forward to presenting at the BSAS 2024 conference, and how are you planning to prepare?

Honestly, I’m incredibly nervous, more so in case people don’t find my research interesting. To prepare I am just going to go over all my research again and just ensure I am confident in what I am saying and what I have already learnt.

Do you feel like you would like to explore the world of animal science research further in the future, and if so which sector or topics would you like to carry out more extensive research into?

I am always open to research the animal science world further to find ways to work more effectively and efficiently. Personally, I think I would carry out more research into methane

Eric Morgan_Professor

Eric Morgan qualified in veterinary medicine from Cambridge in 1997 and, following a PhD at Warwick on parasites of farmed and wild ungulates, joined Bristol Veterinary School in 2003. There he further developed teaching and research interests in parasite transmission, moving to Queen’s University Belfast in 2017. He is co-author of more than 150 peer-reviewed papers, seeking especially to understand the impact of weather and climate change on parasite infection patterns and how these can be managed. As a member of various national and international initiatives he contributes to the development of sustainable parasite control strategies and their translation into practice.

Erin Sherry_{Council Member}

Dr Sherry (neé Minihan) is originally from Michigan and studied public affairs at James Madison College (Michigan State University) followed by Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Economics (The Pennsylvania State University) and General Equilibrium Modelling (Queen's University Belfast). Her research focuses on integrating the economic system with physical and social systems to inform policy design and implementation strategies. In 2020, she became lead researcher and Project Manager for a partial equilibrium modelling system, the FAPRI UK Project.This is a collaboration between AFBI and the University of Missouri, funded jointly by Defra, DAERA, the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Government.

Esther Harper_{Senior Portfolio Manager (Farmed Animals)}

Esther develops and manages collaborative R&D and knowledge exchange funding opportunities within BBSRC’s farmed animals portfolio, which covers the breadth of livestock agriculture, aquaculture, and insect farming. She connects academia and businesses to co-create and deliver on-farm solutions and translational research impacts. She is interested in learning more about the key challenges and opportunities across the insect farming supply chain, with a particular focus on insect proteins for livestock and companion animal feeds. Her pets enjoy hunting and eating flies. 

Francis Lively_{Senior Scientific Officer}

I grew up on a small beef and sheep farm near Rathfriland and have always had a keen interest in the beef and sheep industry. After finishing my degree in agriculture at Queen’s in 2002 I undertook a PhD jointly between the Food Science Division at Newforge and the Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland (ARINI) Hillsborough on beef eating quality.

Since 2005 I have been working on beef production research at Hillsborough covering a range of topics from production systems, breeding, nutrition, greenhouse gas emissions etc.  Outside of AFBI my main interest (surprisingly enough) is beef farming as I farm along with my father & brother.  We currently have 80 suckler cows plus followers and a small flock of 75 sheep.

Frank O’Mara_Director

Professor O’Mara is an agricultural scientist and sustainable livestock systems specialist, with over 30 years’ experience in technical and senior managerial capacities in Agri-Food research, education and development institutions.

Frank has wide ranging experience of the Agri-Food Industry. Having completed his undergrad degree in UCD, he worked in the feed industry, prior to taking up a PhD position in dairy cow nutrition. He was then awarded a Newman Scholarship to develop a new energy and protein rationing system for the Irish Feed Industry. Following this he obtained a lecturing and research position in UCD, where his work included development of the Irish Greenhouse Gas inventory for the Agriculture sector and completed the first work measuring methane emissions from cattle in Ireland. Frank then left UCD to take up a role in Teagasc, and becoming the Director of Research in 2009.

Frank has also made a huge contribution to scientific communication and representing Ireland on numerous international committees and working groups. He is the current president of the Animal Task Force and former president of the ASA.

Frank hails from a farming background in Tipperary and continues his interest in farming today.

Gemma Wyburn_{Climate Friendly Farming Program Leader}

Gemma is the Climate Friendly Farming Program Leader at Australian Pork, looking after the environmental research program and the data management for the Pork Sustainability Framework. She has worked extensively with intensive animal industries, with a particular focus on research management and industry support.

Georgina Chapman_{Nutritionist | Technical Support Manager}

Georgina Chapman works for ED&F Man Liquid Products as a Nutritionist and Technical Support Manager. She supports the commercial team supplying technical literature and training as well as providing nutritional advice and support to farmers. Georgina is also involved in European research and development helping to lead, manage and generate publications on various ruminant projects with a key focus on improving fibre digestion and nitrogen utilisation of home-grown feeds to promote sustainability on farm. Georgina holds a degree in Animal Science from the University of Nottingham and a Masters degree in Ruminant Nutrition from Harper Adams University.

Georgina Croxford _{Head of Ruminant Technical and Quality}

Georgina manages an integrated technical and quality team who support the direct to farm and business to business channels within AB Dairy.

She is passionate about nutritional strategies to improve animal health, welfare and sustainability on dairy farms.

Gregory Sawyer_{PhD candidate}

Gregory’s professional career has seen him working extensively throughout remote and regional areas of New South Wales and Queensland with sheep producers. He has for 35 years been involved in engaging with producers of all sheep breeds to build on their capability to increase extensive and intensive managed sheep output. Since starting his Ph.D. research in the 2019 drought, he has worked with various commercial producers who have sought information about their flock’s productivity under various management regimes. Greg is now in his final year of his studies on developing assessment tools for remotely monitoring livestock liveweight, growth and mortality, and carcase traits. 

Hannah van Zanten _{Associate Professor}

Dr. Hannah van Zanten Interim Chair Holder and Associate Professor at the Wageningen University Farming Systems Ecology group and visiting professor in the Department of Global Development at Cornell University. Hannah graduated cum laude from Wageningen University in 2009 with a master’s degree in Animal Sciences. Her PhD project focused on the environmental benefits of using human-inedible-sources as livestock feed. Since graduating, cum laude, for her PhD, she continued to work in this research-area. With her team, she developed the circular food systems (CiFoS) model where stakeholders can co-design and evaluate innovative yet attainable food systems that secure human and planetary health. She received several personal grants and prices such as the NWO Talent Scheme grant and the Global FoodShot price in 2021.

Helen Sheridan _{Associate Professor}

Dr Helen Sheridan is an Associate Professor in the School of Agriculture and Food Science at University College Dublin. 

While now living in Dublin, Helen is from a drystock farm in County Longford and qualified with a BAgrSc, Degree in Agricultural Science (Agri-Environmental Science) from University College Dublin. She also has a PhD in Agricultural Ecology from University College Dublin, which she completed as a Walsh Fellow based at Teagasc Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, County Wexford. Helen lectures in Farm Landscape Ecology and Agri-Environmental Policy and is Programme Director of the BAgrSc Agri-Environmental Sciences. 

Helen is passionate about enhancing the sustainability of livestock production systems and has been conducting research on multispecies swards at UCD Lyons Farm for over a decade. Her research also focuses on farmland biodiversity, farmland habitats and agri-environment scheme measures.

Jack Hannam_President

Dr Jack Hannam is 2023 – 2024 President of the British Society of Soil Science. She is a soil scientist specialising in soil data, digital soil mapping and soil health. Her research focuses on digital soil mapping, applications of conservation agriculture to improve soil health, developing decision support tools for planning soil and landscape decisions and the application of application of national and local scale soil data for policy and business applications.

She leads the LandIS team at Cranfield University, who are responsible for the national soil data for England and Wales.  Jack joined Cranfield University in 2004 as a Research Officer in Soil Systems. Before joining Cranfield she worked at ETH Zurich and the University of Liverpool on international projects related to environmental magnetism.

Jack is also vice chair of the International Union of Soil Science (IUSS) Division 1: Soil in Space and Time. She is an Associate Editor for the journals Soil Use and Management and SOIL. She is a passionate science communicator and has been interviewed on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Sky News and BBC World. She founded Soapbox Science in Milton Keynes in 2015, a public outreach platform promoting women in science.

She teaches soil systems on the Agrifood and Water MSc programmes at Cranfield and supervises MSc and PhD students. She has developed and delivered advanced training courses in soil systems for NERC early career researchers and bespoke short courses for environmental science professionals.

James McCaughern_Lecturer

James McCaughern is a sheep farmer from Northern Ireland, and a Lecturer in Beef Production Systems at Harper Adams University, Shropshire. His research interests involve dairy and beef cattle, with a focus on feed efficiency, trace element nutrition, and metabolomics. James will be presenting work regarding the practical application of nutrition to improve sustainability within the beef production systems at the Harper Adams University Future Farm. 

James Taylor_{Dairy and Beef Farmer}

Married with three children. Dairy and beef farmer from Portrush. Graduated from Harper Adams in 2005. Farming in partnership with my parents since 2010. Converted into dairy in 2020. 

Milking 300 cows in a spring calving block. All calves are reared on farm, breed our own replacements to calve at 2yo. Beef cattle all sold as finished beef at 19-22months. 

Have been establishing clover and herbal leys for the last three years to reduce dependence on fertiliser.

Jennie Pryce_{Research Director}

Professor Jennie Pryce is Research Director at Agriculture Victoria Research and La Trobe University professor, and a leading authority in dairy genetics. Named Australia's top researcher in animal husbandry by The Australian (2019-2022), her academic journey began at the University of Edinburgh, earning her BSc (Hons 1st class) and PhD. Hailing from a UK dairy farming background, her roots deeply influence her work. A fellow of the Association of the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Jennie is also a member of the International Committee on Animal Recording's working group “Feed and Gas” and serves as an editor at the Journal of Dairy Science Communications.

Jim Jensen_Owner

Jim Jensen is the owner of Lucky 7 Angus, a 6- generation ranch in the high mountains of Boulder, Wyoming. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Ag Business from the University of Wyoming in 1988. He then went on to be a Professional Rodeo Cowboy where he lived and travelled with World Champions. He was the Mountain States Circuit Saddle Bronc Champion 1991. Competed in the Dodge National Circuit Finals and Coors Chute out finals. Traveling down the road in the US and Canada during his 11-year Professional Rodeo Career along with a lifetime spent working on the ranch gave him vast knowledge in Agriculture and especially the cattle industry. 

In 1993 Jim put his efforts full time into the ranch where he created the Nation’s Elite Feed Efficient Genetics, and was able to purchase 5 more ranches.

John Gilliland_{Strategic Advisor, Practitioner & Innovator in Climate Smart Farming, Land Management & Policy Development}

An environment advisor to AHDB; Professor of Practice at QUB; and chair of the innovative farmer led, ARC Zero project, Prof Gilliland is a well-known figure in the UK and Irish food and farming industries, as a leading businessman, policy advocate, farmer and scientist.

Jonathan Statham_{Chief Executive}

Jonathan Statham biography:

• Jonathan combines more than 25 years of ongoing experience in clinical veterinary practice with a range of wider industry and academic roles. He is partner and chair at Bishopton Veterinary Group in Yorkshire and is a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Recognised Specialist in Cattle Health & Production and a Fellow of RCVS. He was named UK Dairy Vet of the year 2015.
• Previously, Jonathan has been President of the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) and Yorkshire Veterinary Society and served on various representative and industry groups, including the GB Cattle Health and Welfare Group (CHAWG), GB Sheep Health & Welfare Group (SHAWG) and Veterinary Policy Group of the British Veterinary Association. He currently serves on the Veterinary Products Committee (VPC) of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), the UK ‘One Health’ Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Strategy Group and GB Ruminant Health & Welfare Steering Group (RH&WG) among others. 
• He is Chief Executive at RAFT Solutions Ltd an innovation led international sustainability company combining applied research with advanced breeding, food futures, consultancy and training and director of Veterinary Diagnostics Ltd (VetDx). 
• He is Professor of Sustainable Livestock Health & Welfare at Harper and Keele Veterinary School and leads the Institute of Sustainable livestock Health and Welfare (InSHAW) there & is also a fellow of Askham Bryan College, York. He has published widely in the sustainable livestock health and welfare and agritech field. 
• Jonathan has been a Non-Executive Director on the Animal Health & Welfare Board England (AHWBE) since 2017, taking over as chair in 2021.

Jos Houdijk_Professor

Research interests

Nutritional sensitivity of animal production, health, disease and environmental footprint. My studies range from strategic to applied, addressing research questions in both monogastric and ruminant farm animals but also in laboratory rodents. I am interested in developing discipline-based concepts across species, which form the basis of my research and teaching activities, and is a main driver for our Monogastric Science Research Centre.

Katharina Watson_{Senior Lecturer}

Katharina is interested in animal Health and welfare, infectious diseases of wild, domestic and farm animals, epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance, microbiology, molecular biology, proteomics/mass spectrometry, precision livestock technologies.

Katie McDermott_{Lecturer in Sustainable Livestock Production}

I currently work as a lecturer in the School of Biology in Sustainable Livestock Production with a particular interest in improving the sustainability of pig production, with emphasis on the effect of early life. I joined the University in 2018 as a Research Fellow in Animal Nutrition and Physiology in the monogastric nutrition group. I also completed both my PhD (2014-2018) and integrated masters and BSc in Biology (MBiol, BSc 2010-2014) at the University of Leeds, specialising in the microbiology of the ruminant animal.  

Katie McDermott_{Lecturer in Sustainable Livestock Production}

Dr Katie McDermott is a Lecturer in Sustainable Livestock Production at the University of Leeds. Katie works closely with the CIEL National Pig Centre collaborating with academic and industry partners on projects spanning the production cycle as well as the environmental impact of pig production. She is currently working on a variety of research projects across a wide range of topics including adaptive farrowing, waste valorisation, risks of resource reuse and the development of a dynamic, scalable hind-gut in vitro model, RoboHog. 

Katie is broadly interested in sustainable ways of improving animal health, efficiency and performance whilst minimising environmental impact. She has a specific interest in determining how early life experiences can affect the lifetime health, welfare and performance of an individual animal. For her PhD, Katie examined the role of the rumen bacterial population in efficient fibre digestion in cattle and she remains passionate about improving the efficiency and therefore sustainability of production systems through manipulation of the microbiota. 

Kim Matthews_{Head of Animal Breeding & Product}

Kim is Head of Animal Breeding and Product Quality at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). He has been involved in meat quality research and knowledge exchange since 1992, when he joined the Meat and Livestock Commission having graduated in Agriculture with Animal Science from the University of Reading.

Kim has responsibility for management of the Board’s R&D programme on meat quality and breeding. He has overall responsibility for the delivery of Signet Breeding Services, delivering breed evaluations for sheep and beef cattle. Having been at AHDB for  number of years, and enjoyed a spell as AHDB Head of Research for Beef and Lamb, Kim has a broad understanding of the work across animal science, while his personal expertise is primarily in the area of carcase and meat quality.

Lance Woods_{Ruminant Marketing Manager}

Lance holds a degree in Agricultural Science, specialising in Animal Science graduating from UCD in 2007. Lance obtained his NOAH Certificate in Animal Health from Harper Adams in 2015 and obtained his Executive MBA from DCU in 2018. More recently Lance has just completed a Nuffield Scholarship and extensively travelled the world over the last two years researching his topic- “How Can Animal Health Positively Impact our Climate Change Targets?”

Lance has worked in the animal health industry for the last fourteen years and is currently Ruminant Marketing Manager for MSD Animal Health- Biopharma and Technology solutions for Ireland & Northern Ireland. 

Lance is particularly interested in emission reduction and sustainability in agriculture.

Laura Boyle_{Senior Research Officer}

I am a Senior Research Officer in the Pig Development Department. After completing my bachelors of agricultural science degree (1994) I worked with the French National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA) in the Laboratory of Behaviour and Reproductive Physiology at the Research Centre of Tours in France (1995). I returned to Ireland to commence a programme of postgraduate research (Masters–1996; PhD-2000) under the Teagasc Walsh Scholarship Programme registered with University College Dublin and based at Teagasc Moorepark. I started my first post as a research officer with the pig department at Moorepark in 2000 and worked across the pig and dairy departments from 2003 to 2008. 

Laura Tennent_{Ruminant Technical Advisor}

Ruminant technical advisor for Trouw nutrition GB, previous head of young stock at the university of Nottingham. Former PhD researcher. I am interested in calf health and nutrition. Previous research interests are in dairy cow nutrition and rumen function. Along with this I was interested in digestion efficiency. Specialising in steroid biochemistry and metabolic function.

Lesley Stubbings_Consultant

Lesley graduated from University of Nottingham and has spent over 40 years working as a consultant in the sheep industry. Following 18 years with ADAS,  Lesley started up her own business (LSSC Ltd) in 1997 providing specialist advice on all aspects of sheep production to farmers, corporate bodies, vets, Government and NGOs. Lesley has a central role in SCOPS (Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep) and has been heavily involved in sheep scab, including the VMD and RDPE projects in recent years. 

Lesley is an Honorary Life Member of the Sheep Veterinary Society, Associate Honorary Professor, University of Nottingham and recipient of the NSA George Hedley Award. She was appointed an OBE in 2006 for contributions to the sheep industry.

Liz Homer_{Ruminant Technical Development Manager and Sustainability Lead}

Dr. Liz Homer studied BSc Animal Science at the University of Nottingham and went on to complete a PhD in Dairy Cow Physiology and Fertility. After being awarded her PhD she then worked as a post doctoral scientist for a couple of years focusing on oestrous detection and expression, dairy cow nutrition trials, and assisting in trials focusing on the rumen microbiome and methane reduction.

She joined Trouw Nutrition GB in 2015 as Ruminant Technical Development Manager focusing on linking R&D with practical, applicable solutions for use at customer and farm level. Her role involves working closely with our Global Ruminant Innovation Team and technically supporting many of our customers in the market. Liz has been instrumental in the development and application of many R&D projects, most notably the NutriOpt Dairy Model and NutriOpt solutions.

Currently her focus is on Sustainability where she leads the team locally and has a significant role influencing and driving the global Sustainability Strategy for Ruminants. This encompasses what we do in house within Trouw Nutrition GB, our operations sites, and raw materials, how we can support customers at their operations sites and most exciting how we apply solutions to become more efficient at farm level to reduce environmental footprint.

Luciano Adrian Gonzalez_{Professor and Chair in Sustainable Animal Production}

Prof González is the Nancy Roma Paech chair in Sustainable Livestock Production at The University of Sydney. Luciano has a BSc in Agronomic Engineering (Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina), and MSc and PhD in Animal Production (Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain). Luciano’s main areas of interest are ruminant animal production, precision livestock farming, remote sensing, animal behaviour and welfare, and on-farm cycles and balances of greenhouse gases. Prof Gonzalez has a farming background and has previously worked in the livestock industries of Argentina, USA, Spain, Scotland, and Canada in different positions ranging from ‘station hand’ to scientist and academic

Lynsey Melville_{Early Career Researcher}

Dr Lynsey Melville is an early career researcher at the Moredun Research Institute, working in veterinary parasitology, specifically the sustainable control of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) in grazing livestock. She has a keen interest in the evolution of parasite behaviour and the factors which influence it. Her research began in applied parasitology, optimising anthelmintic treatment strategies for grazing lambs. Through several research projects since then, she has gained a range of molecular biology skills, developing, validating and applying tools across multiple platforms. Her broad skills base allows her to take a whole-system approach to her research, understanding the real-world implications of research outputs and communicating these to key stakeholders. Lynsey is also the current Vice President of the British Association of Veterinary Parasitology  (BAVP).

Maggie Gill_{Emeritus Professor}

Professor Maggie Gill, OBE, FRSE is an emeritus Professor in the School of Biology, University of Aberdeen. From 2014 to 2019 Maggie was Chair of the Independent Science and Partnership Council of the CGIAR (a consortium of international agricultural research centres).  She currently chairs an EU Think Tank for the project Fit4Food 2030 and the Science Advisory Panel of the New Zealand Government’s Our Land and Water National Challenge. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Royal Society of Biology and the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

Maggie was Chief Scientific Advisor for the Environment and Rural Affairs in the Scottish Government from 2006 to 2011, after serving as CEO and Research Director of the Macaulay Institute (one of the predecessors of the James Hutton Institute).  She went to the Macaulay after four years as CEO of Natural Resources International Ltd, a company owned by four universities which was spun out of the privatisation of the Natural Resources Institute (originally part of the UK Government Overseas Development Administration).

Maggie (an agricultural science graduate of Edinburgh University), has been a researcher (initially in animal nutrition), managed research programmes and advised governments on research, broadening her expertise to the interactions between food systems, society and the environment.  She is passionate about bringing the policy and science communities closer together to help accelerate the use of knowledge in helping to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mark Little_{Veterinary Advisor}

Mark qualified in veterinary medicine from University College Dublin in 2002 and spent 10 years in large animal practice in Northern Ireland. During this time, he focused on herd health investigations and completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Dairy Herd Health from UCD in 2012. He worked as Technical Consultant for Zoetis and Elanco before moving to Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute in Hillsborough, where he completed a PhD with Queens University Belfast, on the nutritional impacts on immunity in the transition dairy cow. Mark continued to work in nutrition, leading the technical team for Trouw Nutrition Ireland, before joining Fane Valley in July 2021 to develop the veterinary consultancy team. Mark is a Nuffield Scholar, an Associate of the Royal Agricultural Society and a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Specialist in Cattle Health and Production.

Mark Trotter_{Professor Precision Livestock Management}

Mark Trotter is the Professor in Precision Livestock Management within the School of Medical an Applied Sciences at Central Queensland University (CQU). Mark is a member of the Future Farming Institute and Precision Livestock Research Group at CQU.

His research interests focus on spatio-temporal variability in agricultural systems and the development of sensors and management techniques that enable producers to increase production and efficiency in the face of variation found in soils, plants and animals.

Mary McEvoy_{Technical Development Manager}

From Co. Wicklow, Mary McEvoy is Technical Development Manager with Germinal, Irelands largest supplier of grass and forage seeds. Following her bachelor degree in Agricultural Science in UCD in 2005, Mary undertook a PhD with Teagasc Moorepark which focussed on examining the influence of animal, sward and management factors on the performance of dairy cows at pasture. Subsequently, in 2008 she took up a position as Researcher with the Grassland Science team in Teagasc Moorepark. There her research focus included the development of the Pasture Profit Index, examining plant/animal interactions which influence animal performance and investigating the effect of management on sward performance. Mary joined Germinal in 2014 where she is responsible for customer training and education, organising farm demonstrations, monitoring variety performance and advising grass breeders on the development of new varieties.

Michael Lee_{Deputy Vice-Chancellor}

Michael Lee graduated with first class honours in Animal Science from University of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1997 and gained a PhD in ruminant nutrition (protein and energy metabolism) from the University of Aberdeen in 2001 followed by Post graduate certificate for teaching in higher education from Aberystwyth University in 2012. He worked for the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research from 2001-2008 (with his first post-doc on ruminal lipid metabolism), before the merger with Aberystwyth University where he stayed as a Principal Scientist and Senior Lecturer in animal nutrition and rumen biochemistry until moving to the University of Bristol, School of Veterinary Science (Bristol Veterinary School) in 2013 as a Reader in Sustainable Livestock Systems. In 2015 he took a joint appointment between Rothamsted Research and the University of Bristol as Head of Site at North Wyke and was promoted to Chair in Sustainable Livestock Systems later that same year. In November 2020 Michael moved to his current position as Deputy Vice Chancellor of Harper Adams University, England’s Premier specialist agriculture and land use University. He has published over 350 research articles and papers including articles in Nature and Science. He was awarded the Sir John Hammond Memorial Prize in 2015 for services to Animal Science. In August 2016, he was elected as Vice President of the European Federation of Animal Science Livestock Farming Systems Commission and in August 2019 became President of the commission. He served as a Trustee for the British Society of Animal Science for over 10 years including Presidents group from 2019 - 2023 (President 2021-2022). He is Co-chair of the UK Universities Climate Network - Net Zero Group as well as representing the UK in Animal Task Force in Brussels feeding into EU policy discussion around the role of livestock in sustainable food systems. In March 2023 he was appointed as a Technical Advisor to the FAO of the UN within its Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance (LEAP) group.

Michael MacLeod_{Senior Researcher}

Dr Michael MacLeod is a reader at SRUC. His main research interests are in using modelling to quantify GHG emissions arising from food supply chains and the identification of cost-effective ways of reducing emissions. He has been involved in agri-food policy research for 20 years, and has undertaken ~40 projects during this period, around half of them as principal investigator. Clients include: Scottish Government, DEFRA, The UK Committee on Climate Change, European Commission, the OECD, the International Livestock Research Institute, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Bank.

Paul Crawford_{Veterinary Surgeon and Sheep Farmer}

Paul Crossan_{Research Officer and Beef Enterprise Leader}

Research Interests

• Economic and environmental assessment of beef cattle production systems.

Current Projects

• Developing more sustainable weanling-to-beef production systems in the context of animal genetics and multi-species swards.
• Bio-economic modelling of maternal traits for grass-based suckler beef cow production systems.
• Development, validation and application of a bioeconomic systems model of beef cow reproductive management strategies.
• Life cycle assessment modelling of grass and grass products for anaerobic digestion.
• Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from beef cattle production systems.
• Evaluation of the factors influencing technical and financial performance of Irish suckler beef farms.

Paul Smith_{Beef Research officer}

Paul is a Beef Research officer, based in Teagasc Grange in Ireland. Paul’s work is primarily focused on developing strategies to reduce enteric methane emissions from cattle, as well as understanding the role of the rumen microbiome in sustainable livestock production. After completing a Walsh Scholar PhD in 2021, with Teagasc and University College Dublin (UCD), titled “Understanding the interactive role of the rumen microbiome with diet and enteric emissions in cattle”, Paul undertook a Post-Doctoral Research position with Teagasc (EU funded HoloRuminant project), before being appointed a permeant researcher. Prior to commencing his PhD, Paul completed his undergraduate studies, in Animal Science, at UCD and subsequently worked as an Agricultural Policy Officer for the Irish young farmer organisation, Macra na Feirme. Paul has been a BSAS member since 2018 and is currently Chair of the Early Career Council (ECC). Of recent, Paul has played a key role in the establishment of the ECC Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with farm organisations across the UK and Ireland.

Peter Williams_{Senior Nutritionist}

Peter Williams is Senior Nutritionist with Fluid Quip Technologies, Europe and CEO of AG_Bio Ltd an animal nutrition consultancy “consulting in Agri Business and Science” which has focused on the field of alternative protein for livestock feed. With over 40 years’ experience in animal nutrition in both academia and commerce he is past president of the British Society of Animal Science and Emeritus Professor at the University of Nottingham Trent. Ex R&D Director of a leading international feed additive livestock nutrition-company and senior project lead in an international crop science company, he currently leads several high profile R&D projects in Green Plains focusing on alternative proteins for feed and food including a novel grain high protein product from the bioethanol industry.

Phil Holder_{Managing Director}

Studied Agriculture Animal Science at Aberdeen University followed by a PhD in Ruminant Nutrition at Nottingham University. Joined the feed trade following my PhD and have sent the last 26 years in various technical and sales roles now MD but have never lost my interest in the science. Still actively involved in research co authoring a number of papers with Prof Andre Formigonni and his research Team from University of Bologna. Also work as part of ED&F Mans Global Technical Committee looking into rumen efficiency and sustainability.

Philip Skuce_{Principal Scientist}

Philip is a Principal Scientist at Moredun Research Institute, having worked there for worked there for the past 25 years on various aspects of sustainable control of helminth parasites (worms & fluke) in livestock. His research interests are in parasite diagnostics, detection in the environment, vaccination and anthelmintic resistance. He also has interests in the effect of climate change on parasite epidemiology and the impact of endemic disease on the carbon footprint of livestock production. He is also the SEFARI (Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes) Gateway Knowledge Broker for Livestock.

Ross Evans_{Genetics Research Lead}

Ross Evans is the Genetics Research Lead at ICBF. He has worked at ICBF since 2005 with his previous role involving the development, routine running and industry application of dairy and beef genetic evaluations. 

Sam Beechner_{Research Fellow}

I am a social-scientist with a background in the agrifood sector and a particular interest in multi-disciplinary approaches. The projects I’m involved in are wide-ranging – recent examples extend from the tropical peatlands of Africa, Indonesia and South America to farms and crofts closer to home in Scotland. All, however, united by a common-theme of collaborative working. Away from the office you’ll find me enjoying the outdoors.

Sam Hoste_{Chief Executive}

Sam is an experienced leader with common themes of Innovation, entrepreneurship and large collaborative projects at the intersection of Agribusiness, Lifesciences and Agritech. My career has been with a number of leading Agribusiness companies, growing SMEs and consultancies. Through Quantech I assisted the Department for International Trade supporting the UK Government to attract Foreign Direct Investment into the UK, and facilitate future Trade partnerships. I was the COO for CIELivestock one of the new industry-led Agritech Centres in the UK, nurturing the project from concept to reality with £27m investment from the UK Government, matched financially by 13 leading UK Universities, and currently with some 19 + industry partners.

Simon Doherty

Simon Doherty obtained his BVMS from the University of Glasgow in 2000. With over two decades of experience in veterinary practice, research & diagnostics, animal health & aquaculture, trade & investment, and professional representation, Simon was appointed as an Honorary Lecturer in 2011 before taking on a part-time role on the staff at QUB in 2018, becoming full-time in 2021.

Simon’s interests span sustainable livestock agriculture & aquaculture – including animal welfare, environmental impact & antimicrobial resistance - One Health approaches to global health challenges and novel vaccine design.

Simon is a past-president of the British Veterinary Association. He is Co-Chair of the Federation of Veterinarians in Europe Veterinary Public Health & Sustainability Working Group. Simon was recently awarded the 2024 World Veterinary Association Global Veterinary Award for One Health.

Sion Richards_{Senior Ruminant Technical Manager Europe & CIS}

Experienced Ruminant Nutritionist having worked in both farm nutrition and technical scientific roles in over 25 years in the UK and European feed industry

Previously to that studied Animal Science and a PhD in sheep fatty acid metabolism at the University of Nottingham. From a farming background in North Wales

Currently Senior Ruminant Technical manager for Adisseo for Europe and CIS with the responsibility to support and develop amino acid nutrition of dairy cows.

Sophie Parker-Norman _{Head of R&D and Technical}

Dr Sophie Parker-Norman is head of R&D and Technical for the Volac Animal Nutrition business and is accountable for both innovation and technical commercial development across the global Volac portfolio. Sophie previously worked in international roles in the ruminant and monogastric feed additive sectors. Prior to joining the feed industry, Sophie’s academic career was at Aberystwyth University, where she was focused on Dairy Science and obtained her Ph. D. in ‘Immunoepidemiology of Mastitis in Dairy Cattle’. Following a post doctoral position, Sophie found herself in the feed industry in technical roles – a move which she largely attributes to having a ‘foot in both camps’ of both the science and the application. Sophie started her career working on dairy farms and is still closely involved in the farming community today. For this reason, she is committed to developing nutritional solutions to drive forward efficiency, and ultimately sustainability, of ruminant production.

Stephen Mansbridge_{Senior Lecturer in Animal Science and Bioinformatics}

Registered animal scientist accredited by the British Society of Animal Science and Senior Lecturer in Animal Science and Bioinformatics. Graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Agriculture and a PhD in Animal Science (pig nutrition and health) from Harper Adams University (sponsored by AB Vista and the Silcock Fellowship for Livestock Research), Stephen was previously the subject coordinator for the postgraduate veterinary pharmacy course and teaches on aspects of livestock production science and animal science research skills. He is also an AMTRA qualified animal medicines advisor (all species), with a background in agriculture and specialist interests in animal health and non-ruminant nutrition. With a particular focus on livestock production research, Stephen is a member of the HAU Research Degrees Committee, HAU Research Degrees Awarding Board and a member of the Food Safety Subgroup of the Pig Health and Welfare Council.

Steven Morrison_{Head of Livestock Production Sciences}

Dr Steven Morrison, Head of Livestock Production Sciences Branch, AFBI. A suckler beef and sheep family farm background coupled with his father being a past farm manager of AFBI Hillsborough helped grow Steven's deep passion in animal and agricultural sciences. After graduating from Queen's University Belfast (QUB) with a B.Agr. degree in Agriculture and a Ph.D. in Ruminant Nutrition, Steven has held several scientific posts in AFBI as well as industry. These included Head of Sustainable Livestock Systems, Livestock Genetics improvement Manager (AgriSearch) and Youngstock Scientist.  Steven also holds an Honorary Senior Lecturer title in QUB, supervising several PhD students. Steven is a member of Royal Ulster Agricultural Society Works committee and an Associate of Royal Agricultural Societies.

Dr Morrison is responsible for the strategic direction, funding and operation of one of AFBI's largest research groups, which includes the instrumented research farms. Dr Morrison, through his own research and that of his team, directly advise government policy in the area of sustainable agricultural systems; exchange the latest scientific knowledge with industry advisors and work in partnership with all stakeholders to deliver true impact at farm level.

Collaboration and partnership are key themes Steven has helped further develop in the branch. Steven has published 30+ peer-reviewed papers and has delivered his research findings to well over 200 audiences. Steven is a regular invited reviewer for scientific journals. Steven has developed long standing relations with industry resulting in continual research programme and in-depth knowledge on the current challenges and opportunities. Dr Morrison's research focuses on fundamental and more so the applied sciences relating to sustainable livestock systems of agri-food production. Recent areas of focus have been a one-health viewpoint to livestock systems, working in partnership to develop benchmarking and decision support tools; development of digital sustainability platform to credit and drive positive behavioural change in primary production and; understanding and reducing the carbon footprint of ruminant livestock systems. Dairy youngstock research has been a key thread throughout his career to date from early work on enhanced feeding programmes, immuno competence development, grazing systems through to the rearing environment and interactions with calf nutrition and growth.

Publishing the outcomes of research is a key driver for Steven. Delivering high impact peer reviewed papers are critical to provide scientific rigour and challenge to enable policy to use the findings. However, Steven is proactive in ensuring the science is translated into farmer and public facing outputs be that press articles, farm walks, apps, radio/tv or webinars.

Steven Van Winden_{Senior Lecturer in Production Animal Medicine}

Steven is Senior Lecturer in Production Animal Medicine. His expertise is best summarised as Population Medicine, where he can apply his background in individual animal care and his further training in epidemiology and management. This allows him to focus on interventions on a group level, making significant improvements on disease control by identifying and altering the specific areas for change.

Thomas Williams_{Research Fellow – Precision Livestock}

Dr. Thomas Williams, with a background in large ruminant health, specialises in ruminant livestock health across farming systems. Since joining CQUniversity's Precision Livestock Management group in 2020, he has focused on developing remote monitoring technologies for Northern Australia's beef industry. His work centres on extracting value from on-animal and off-animal sensors, integrating these to enhance research outcomes and decision-making in cattle systems. This approach aims to improve health and production while promoting sustainable practices in the industry.

Tommy Boland_Professor

Research Interests

• Economic and environmental assessment of beef cattle production systems.

Current Projects

• Developing more sustainable weanling-to-beef production systems in the context of animal genetics and multi-species swards.
• Bio-economic modelling of maternal traits for grass-based suckler beef cow production systems.
• Development, validation and application of a bioeconomic systems model of beef cow reproductive management strategies.
• Life cycle assessment modelling of grass and grass products for anaerobic digestion.
• Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from beef cattle production systems.
• Evaluation of the factors influencing technical and financial performance of Irish suckler beef farms.

Yongxiu Yao_{Group Leader}

Yongxiu obtained her PhD in Molecular Virology from the University of Reading studying the host range of influenza virus. After post-doctoral position working on prion protein folding and the human immune response to SARS, Yongxiu joined the Pirbright Institute in 2005 to work on avian oncogenic viruses studying the role of virus and host-encoded microRNAs in oncogenesis. Following significant contributions to the field of miRNAs through the identification of several novel herpesvirus-encoded miRNAs and their roles in pathogenesis, she has recently focused on the application of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing for studying viral pathogenesis and developing recombinant vaccine.

Yongxiu’s major interest is in the host-virus interactions to unravel the molecular mechanisms of tumour formation by avian oncogenic viruses including Marek’s disease virus, avian leukosis virus and reticuloendotheliosis virus. Yongxiu is head of the Viral Oncogenesis group. Currently, the group focuses on gene function studies of both virus and host to identify the determinants associated with pathogenesis and latency/reactivation, as well as recombinant herpesvirus vectored vaccine development using state-of-the-art technologies including reverse genetics on viral genomes, CRISPR/Cas9 editing, global CRISPR screening, CRISPRi/CRISPRa tools and bioimaging technologies.

Yongxiu is also the designated World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) expert for Marek's disease at the Marek’s Disease Virus Reference Laboratory at the Pirbright Institute.