The following staff are available to supervise honours and masters research in the Animal and Meat Science research group.
Dr Kristy DiGiacomo
Dr Kristy DiGiacomo’s research focuses on livestock (particularly ruminant) nutrition, metabolism, physiology and adaptation to the external environment; the use of nutritional supplements to improve animal efficiency; alternate protein feeds in animal nutrition; and the use of insects in production animal feed.
Project topics:
- Early life nutrition in lactating dairy goats.
- Livestock nutrition & physiology (dairy cattle, sheep, goats, pigs).
- Heat stress mitigation
- Digestive physiology
A/Prof Jeremy Cottrell
A/Prof Jeremy Cottrell’s research interests focus on altered physiological states and how they translate to animal production and product quality. In particular, Dr Cottrell is interested in factors that compromise the gastrointestinal tract, developmental effects that compromise the formation and growth of skeletal muscle and the ramifications of increased environmental temperatures on livestock.
Project topics:
- Using gut health to reduce tail biting in pigs.
- Reducing oxidative stress in broilers.
- Improving resilience to heat stress in dairy cows with betaine and antioxidants.
Professor Robyn Warner
Experience in meat science research, including on-farm, pre-and post-harvest aspects of animals, carcasses and meat, in relation to product quality, novel products, and consumer acceptability. She has a passion for fundamental research on the biochemistry, biology and biophysics of muscle and food in determining quality.
Project topics:
- Changes in muscle structure during thermal protein denaturation to undertand texture of meat and sensory properties.
- Understanding meat flavour through chemistry and consumer sensory experience.
- Mitigating effects of genetic selection on pork quality.
A/Prof Surinder Chauhan
As an animal scientist with a background in veterinary and meat sciences, A/prof Surinder Chauhan’s research involves improving and promoting sustainable and efficient livestock production systems; developing strategies to reduce enteric methane emissions in livestock; mitigating and developing strategies to manage animal responses to heat stress; and understanding the genetic, molecular and biochemical basis of meat quality.
Project topics:
- Genetic selection for improved heat resilience and methane efficiency in livestock.
- Early life interventions to reduce enteric methane emissions in livestock.
- On-farm solutions to reduce enetric methane emissions in livestock, and enhance productivity gains and meat quality.
- Transfer of mitigation technologies for heat stress in farm animals.
Dr Peta Taylor
Peta Taylor is an animal weflare scientist that pairs assessments of behaviour and physiology for comprehensive understanding of animal welfare. Peta is particuarly interested in poutlry welfare, effective envrionmental enrichment and designing housing that improves animal welfare.
Project topics:
- The behaviour and welfare of free-range chickens.
- Nutritional and envrionmental interventions to improve the welfare of meat chicken breeders.
- Reducing the risks to welfare during catching and slaughter of meat chickens.
- Designing (and measuring) effective enrichment programs for poultry.
- Novel methods to assess poultry welfare.
Professor Frank Dunshea
Professor Frank Dunshea has over 35 years experience in farm animal and biomedical research, with expertise in pork production industries, improving production animal efficiency, regulation of growth and development in production animals, animal and human nutrition, the impact of heat stress on the production and welfare of farm animals as well as food science and the development of novel food products.
Project topics:
- Nutritional mitigation of heat stress in livestock.
- Nutritional mitigation of greenhouse gas production in livestock.
- Modification of rumen fermentation and metabolism by plant-derived polyphenols.
- Measuring and mitigation of heat stress across several global farming systems.
- Nutritional manipulation of pork eating quality.
Dr Melindee Hastie
Focused on sustainable food production and quality, with an emphasis on linking objective measures of quality and consumer acceptance. Her research couples qualitative and quantitative sensory and consumer science methodologies with a wide range of enzymatic, chemical, and physical analysis techniques.
Project topics:
- Sustainability certification systems for Australian agrifood export products and consumer acceptance thereof.
- The development of blended meat products and meat analogues.
- The development of meat flavour.
- Pre- and post-harvest factors influencing meat quality,
Dr Farhad Ahmadi
Farhad currently works on the extraction, encapsulation, and characterization of phytochemicals targeting the increased storage stability and functional properties of encapsulated products and their use in livestock diets to improve performance and health outcomes. Farhad also researches ruminants and provides technical support to dairy farms. From a research perspective, he primarily focuses on enhancing the productivity, health, and sustainability of dairy cows and calves through the development of innovative nutritional and management strategies.
Project topics:
- Encapsulation of plant bio-actives for use in livestock feed.