Sub-group: Events, Sponsorship and Awards

Organisation: DEFRA and The University of Glasgow

Having spent over fifteen years working in agriculture, my passion for, and commitment to, the livestock sector has been central to my career and my life. I transitioned from working on dairy farms into academia because I felt driven to have a greater impact on the agricultural industry than I could from the pit of a milking parlour in Guernsey. I have been a member of BSAS and the ECC since the beginning of my PhD three years ago and have become more involved in the society in 2024, working as digital content curator and sitting on the organising committee for the annual conference. Working as a herdsman honed my time management and goal orientation skills, which have carried through to my research. I am working diligently to build a research portfolio, and offer the perspective of an early career researcher who moved into academia through a non-typical route; making me acutely aware of the economic and environmental challenges facing the livestock sector.

Sub-group: Communicating Science

Organisation: Native Breed Solutions 

Eric is the Director of Native Breed Solutions, a Community Interest Company dedicated to conserving and promoting native UK cattle breeds. His work focuses on bridging the gap between research and practice, collaborating with farmers, breed societies, and stakeholders to develop evidence-based strategies that improve animal health, productivity, and the long-term sustainability of traditional breeds. He recently completed his PhD at the University of Reading, where he investigated the nutritional and microbiological impacts of supplementing dairy cattle diets with seaweed to improve animal health, environmental outcomes, and food safety. Eric is now expanding his research interests to explore the potential of dual-purpose cattle breeds, with a particular focus on product quality and the implications for public nutrition. In addition to his research, Eric lectures in biology and chemistry and provides ad hoc agricultural consultancy, helping farmers implement practical, evidence-based improvements to their systems. Through his role on the ECC, he is passionate about supporting early career researchers, fostering collaboration across the livestock sector, and ensuring that research has meaningful, practical impact for farmers and consumers alike.

Dr. Viola Farci - www.linkedin.com/in/viola-farci-0766781a1

Sub-group: Events, Sponsorship and Awards

Organisation: SRUC, University of Glasgow 

 Viola is a lecturer in animal science (SRUC) and animal nutrition (SRUC/University of Glasgow) working with students at various academic levels (BSc, MSc, PhD). Her main research interests include but are not limited to companion and domestic animals’ nutrition, in vitro digestibility simulations, rumen/gut microbiome of different species, animal welfare and ethics. In 2022, Viola completed a PhD in animal Nutrition at the School of Veterinary medicine in Glasgow where she investigated the effect of feed processing on equine and ruminants’ digestibility, microbiome and overall GIT health. Shortly after, she worked as a lecturer and program coordinator for the online MSc in Animal Nutrition (Glasgow/SRUC) until she started her permanent role as a lecturer in animal sciences at SRUC, Barony Campus. Viola joined the BSAS ECC in 2018 and participated in the organisation of activities and seminars such as the R and Stats workshop (online), and the ECC Mental Health Webinar. She’s also a registered BSAS Animal Scientist.

ORCiD | LinkedIn | ResearchGate | GitHub  EqSci@Ed FaceBook | EqSci@Ed Twitter | EqSci@Ed LinkedIn

Sub-group: Events, Sponsorship and Awards

Organisation: The University of Edinburgh Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies

I am the Programme Coordinator and a Course Organiser for the postgraduate Equine Science programme at the R(D)SVS, and I teach on the undergraduate veterinary medicine programme. I review for the R(D)SVS Veterinary Ethical Review Committee. My research interests are in equine genetics and genomics of complex traits including polygenic disease and performance, and in statistical modelling of equine health and performance data. I also conduct research into pedagogy in veterinary and animal science education.

I am an associate Registered Animal Scientist, representative to the British Society of Animal Science Early Career Council, the ECC rep on the BSAS Publications Committee, and I am part of the BSAS Undergraduate Thesis of the Year Award judging committee.

I completed a PhD at the Royal Veterinary College investigating the genomic architecture of equine exertional rhabdomyolysis, supervised by Dr Androniki Psifidi, Professor Richard Piercy and Dr Emily Clark (Roslin Institute) and funded by the RVC’s Mellon Fund for Equine Research. I was the 2023 recipient of the McKeever Prize for the Graduating PhD Student with the Best Original Research Paper.

Outside of work, I enjoy horse riding and cycling, and am an active rugby referee.

 www.linkedin.com/in/damilola-kareem-uthman

Sub-group: Communicating Science

Organisation: The University of Sydney; Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta

Damilola is a PhD student, working with the Poultry Research Foundation group at the University of Sydney, Australia under the supervision of Dr Sonia Liu, and currently holds a position as Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Animal Nutrition, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeria. He has been working on protein reduction in poultry diets during his MSc at the Sao Paulo State University, Brazil, under the supervision of Prof Nilva Sakomura; he worked on finding alternative cereal combinations to replace maize in reduced protein broiler diets. He is continuing in this line of research in his PhD, where he aims to better understand how starch-protein digestive dynamics in relation to the net energy system impact the utilisation of nutrients and fat deposition in broiler chickens fed reduced protein wheat-based diets. He is interested in research areas involving amino acid metabolism and utilization, sustainable poultry nutrition, and modelling and simulation, among others. Damilola has been a member of the Early Career Council (ECC) since becoming a BSAS member in 2021 and now serves as the ECC Animal Bytes Coordinator. Damilola is a Registered Animal Scientist (Associate) with the British Society of Animal Science and a strong advocate of the UN 2030 SDG Goals 2, 12, 13, and 15.

Dr Issy Bacon – https://www.linkedin.com/in/drisabellewis   

Sub-group: Communicating Science
Organisation: Hartpury University

Bio: Issy is an early careers Animal Health Lecturer at Hartpury University, sharing her expertise on diseases in livestock. Her work specialises in virology, during her PhD where she studied virulence factors of Capripoxviruses working at world leading institutes: The Pirbright Institute (UK), The Friedrich Loeffler Institut (Germany) and The Royal Veterinary College (UK). This research has led her to present my results at conferences in both Europe and the United States. More recently during her tenure at ARU Writtle her work expanded from developing the rationale for vaccine development to investigating animal health and welfare from needle-free vaccine delivery systems. Currently her work focuses on lecturing and supervising the next generation of Animal scientists. Her key areas of interest are livestock diseases, viruses, vaccinations and their implications on animal health, welfare, and management. Issy has been a member of the Early Career Council for one year and now is the co-ordinator of both the Fledgling and Animal Bytes. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neal-folliard-92a591214

Sub-group: Membership and Recruitment 
Organisation: Teagasc

Neal is PhD Walsh Scholar based in the Teagasc Grange beef research centre in Ireland and started his studies with the University of Galway in 2023. Neal’s research has focussed on the use of rapeseed feed ingredients (rapeseed oil and rapeseed cake) in beef rations as a strategy to mitigate enteric methane emissions. This work is part of the internationally collaborative ‘Integrity’ project which is funded through an ERA-GAS call for circularity by DAFM. The aim of the project is to look at more circular approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in agricultural systems. Neal has joined the early careers council in 2024 after presenting his first paper at the annual conference in Belfast.

Prior to commencement of the PhD, Neal has completed his undergraduate degree in animal science with University College Dublin in 2018, followed by two years of experience as an agricultural consultant before returning to education to complete a masters in ‘Agrifood Sustainability and Technology’ with the University  of Galway in 2022. Neal’s role on the council  will be as part of the local Organising Commitee for the annual BSAS conference that will take place in Galway in 2025.

Sub-group: Membership and Recruitment 
Organisation: University of Liverpool; University Centre Reaseheath

Sophie is a Bioveterinary Scientist from a farming background in Cumbria. She graduated from Harper Adams University with a first-class BSc honours degree before continuing to work there as a research assistant on ruminant trials not limited to in-vitro digestibility, dairy cow behaviour and vaccine efficacy in sheep. Sophie commenced a lecturing post at University Centre Reaseheath in 2022 teaching on the Sustainable Agriculture and Equine Bioveterinary Science degree pathways as a Course Manager, winning the Inspiring Lecturer Award 2023. At UCR, Sophie sits on the ethics committee and studied for her Award in Education and Training in 2022. She is currently studying a BBSRC-DTP sponsored PhD at the University of Liverpool. Her project, "The Sustainable Control of Parasites in British Dairy Cows", involves collecting serology data via bulk tank milk samples and assisting in the development of disease forecasting models to better predict risk of parasitosis. She is currently a member of the British Association of Veterinary Parasitology (BAVP) committee and her future research interests lie within translating research into practical on-farm solutions. In her spare time, Sophie milks cows on a local farm and enjoys long walks and training sessions with her working dogs.

www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-cuffe

Sub-group: Membership and Recruitment 

Organisation: The Royal Veterinary College

I am a PhD student at the RVC looking into the genetic basis for equine exertional rhabdomyolysis under Dr Androniki Psifidi funded by the RVC’s Mellon Fund for Equine Research. Prior to that I completed the European master’s in animal breeding in 2022, attending both Wageningen University and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). There I was looking at the genetics of recovery from digital dermatitis in dairy cattle, as well as fine-mapping a region of the equine genome related to white facial markings in Fjord horses. Initially I completed my bachelors in equine science at University College Dublin, graduating in 2019. It was here that I developed an interest for genetics guiding me to my masters and finally to my current research. My main research interests include quantitative genetics, functional genomics and the epigenetics of complex traits in (but not limited to) horses.