Dr. Omar Gutierrez, Chemical Solutions Specialist, Pilgrim’s Pride

Dr. Omar Gutierrez has been the Head of Nutritional Services at Pilgrim’s Pride for the last three years. There, he works with a team of experts that have been gracious enough to teach him what a real nutritionist does and who are still getting used to just how slow of a learner he is. He was previously employed as a Technical Service Manager in the poultry feed additive industry for 13 years and worked briefly in the turkey breeder industry following his graduation from Texas A&M University. Dr. Gutierrez lives in Austin, Texas, and has four children, who he’s immensely proud of.

Dr. Sara Place, Professor, Colorado State University

Dr. Sara Place is an Associate Professor and expert in livestock systems sustainability with over a decade of experience in academia, industry associations and private industry. She joined Colorado State University’s AgNext, a research collaborative focused on sustainable animal agriculture, in August 2022. Dr. Place’s research focuses on enteric methane emissions measurement and mitigation from cattle. Prior to CSU AgNext, she was the Chief Sustainability Officer for Elanco Animal Health, Senior Director for sustainable beef production research at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and an Assistant Professor of sustainable beef cattle systems at Oklahoma State University. She received her PhD in Animal Biology from the University of California, Davis, and a BSc in Animal Science from Cornell University. Dr. Place is a native of upstate New York, U.S.A., where she grew up on a dairy farm.

Dr. Greg Penner, Professor and Centennial Enhancement Chair in Ruminant Nutrition Physiology, University of Saskatchewan

Dr. Greg Penner is a Professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Saskatchewan. He was hired in 2009 after obtaining his bachelor’s degree (2004) and MSc degree (2006) at the University of Saskatchewan, and his PhD from the University of Alberta (2009). Dr. Penner’s research focuses on forage utilization, beef and dairy cattle nutrition, and regulation of gastrointestinal function in ruminants. He also actively teaches at the undergraduate and graduate levels within the Animal Science program in the University’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources. Many of the students and post-doctoral students trained in Dr. Penner’s program now work as nutritional consultants, or have obtained faculty positions in the U.S.A, Canada, Brazil, and Poland.

As a result of his research activity, Dr. Penner has authored or co-authored nearly 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals and is a highly sought-out speaker, delivering over 180 invited presentations since his appointment. He also serves as Co-Editor in Chief for the Canadian Journal of Animal Science. As part of his outreach, Dr. Penner participates as an organizing committee member for the Western Canadian Dairy Seminar, and the SaskMilk Dairy Info Day. He is also a board member of Saskatchewan Verified Beef Plus. Dr. Penner has been the recipient of several awards from the University of Saskatchewan, as well as national awards from the Canadian Society of Animal Science, and international awards from the American Society of Animal Science and the American Dairy Science Association.

 Dr. Jose Soto, Research Director, Monogastric/Technical Lead, Alltech

Dr. Jose Soto, PhD, is currently a Monogastric Nutritionist with Alltech. His responsibilities include swine and poultry R&D and technical services. He was born and raised in Chile, where he received undergraduate and graduate training in agricultural sciences and agricultural economics, respectively. He received a PhD in applied swine nutrition from Kansas State University, where he worked extensively with amino acid nutrition and dietary energy economic modeling. Prior to joining Alltech, Dr. Soto served in various roles for three of the top 10 swine integrators in the U.S.A., in addition to supplier companies, where he was involved with R&D, production operations and technical services.

Dr. Anne Koontz, Research Manager, Publications and Communications, Alltech

Dr. Anne Koontz (She/Her) earned her MSc and PhD in Ruminant Nutrition from the University of Kentucky, following her BSc in Animal Science with a biotechnology emphasis from Oklahoma State University. Her scientific background spans nutrient metabolism, applied nutrition, and environmental impacts, with research experience across multiple species in production systems around the world.

In her current role as Research Manager for Publications and Communications at Alltech, Dr. Koontz integrates her technical expertise with a passion for science education. She collaborates with industry and academic scientists and nutritionists worldwide to translate emerging research into accessible, impactful resources. Her work supports evidence-based nutrition decisions and helps bridge the gap between research innovation and practical on-farm application.

Dr. Olga Lancho Medina, Principal Researcher NutEx Discovery, Nutreco Switzerland GmbH

Dr. Olga Lancho Medina is a Principal Researcher at Nutreco Exploration (NutEx) who develops biological models for product discovery using plants and bacteria. She holds a PhD from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and completed postdoctoral research at Rutgers University, where she contributed to the identification of novel metabolic therapeutic targets for cancer treatment. She has authored peer-reviewed publications and actively participates in cross-functional projects within the Nutreco innovation pipeline. At NutEx, Dr. Lancho leads laboratory workflows that support research, quality, and product development, helping to develop plant- and bacteria-based candidates from discovery to commercially viable animal-health solutions.

Dr. Mike Bedford, Managing Director, Science Based Nutrition Services

Dr. Mike Bedford is currently the Managing Director at Science Based Nutrition Services, an independent consultancy service based in the UK. Until June 1, 2025, he was the Research Director at AB Vista, also based in the UK.

Dr. Bedford received his BSc in Animal Science from the University of Nottingham in 1981 ,then went on to the University of Guelph where he earned an MSc and then a PhD in poultry nutrition in 1985 and 1988, respectively. A post-doctoral in RFLP mapping of the kappa-casein gene in dairy cows at McGill University in Montreal in 1988 was followed by a further post-doctoral in the application of xylanases in rye-based diets at the University of Saskatchewan with Dr. H.L. Classen until 1991. This introduction into feed enzyme research led to employment as the Research Manager, and ultimately Research Director, with Finnfeeds International (now DAN), a small company based in the UK which was at the vanguard of the nascent feed enzyme industry. In 2001, he joined Syngenta as the Research Director of a small start-up feed enzyme company (Zymetrics), remaining there until 2007 when he joined AB Vista. There, he worked with his small R&D team on new product development and mechanistic research aimed at understanding how enzymes and microbial modulators function in an animal so that new and better products can be evolved. He has been a committee member for more than 30 PhDs worldwide. Topics covered include enzyme discovery and evolution, formulation, nutrition, physiology and immunology, microbiome analysis to list a few.

Dr. Bedford has authored over 300 refereed publications and 350 publications overall, nine book chapters, edited four books and nine patents. He has strong links with academia, serving as an Adjunct Professor at two universities (Arkansas and Nottingham Trent), a section editor for Poultry Science and on council for two additional journals.

Dr. Tim McAllister, Principal Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Dr. Tim McAllister is a Principal Research Scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, Alberta where he leads a diverse research team that has published over 1,000 scientific papers studying strategies to enhance feed utilization, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, improve water use efficiency, curtail antimicrobial resistance, improve food safety and enhance biodiversity. His recent interests include studying the role of livestock in providing ecosystem services within a circular bioeconomy. He is the past Chair of the Livestock – Environmental Assessment Partnership (LEAP) steering committee of the FAO and co-host of the “Cows on the Planet” podcast. Dr. McAllister is the recipient of numerous national and international awards, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal and as a contributor to the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded to the IPCC. 

Dr. Leluo Guan, Research Chair Professor, University of British Columbia

Dr. Leluo Guan is a Tier 1 Canadian Research Chair Professor in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Guan is one of the pioneer researchers in cattle gut microbiome and its interactions with its host. Dr. Guan’s research program focuses on:

• Host-microbial interactions using metagenomics/metatranscriptomics approaches, and host gene expression and its regulatory mechanisms using a functional genomics approach;
• Association between gut microbiome and feed efficiency, methane emission, meat/milk quality and safety, gut development and health in beef and dairy cattle
• Study of the bovine transcriptome, proteome, and non-coding RNAs and their roles in economically important traits 

Dr. Guan is the author or co-author of 300 peer-reviewed publications and eight book chapters with H-index of 83.0. She has secured > 65.0 M research funding (>25.0 M as PI and >40.0 M as Co-I) and has trained a total of 66 graduate students and 24 postdocs. 

Casey Bradford, MSc student, University of Saskatchewan

Casey Bradford is an MSc student at the University of Saskatchewan, under the supervision of Dr. Greg Penner. Originally from southern Alberta, her current research is focused on the effects of a rumen-protected choline prototype in lactating dairy cattle. However, she has also been involved in a wide variety of other research related to both dairy and beef cattle. In her spare time, she is leading a project in Senegal through a non-profit organization, using alkali compounds to increase digestibility in poor-quality crop residues, a technique she studied during her undergraduate research thesis. In the future, she hopes to be involved in the cattle nutrition industry, making research technologies more accessible to and usable by producers.

Dr. Robert Gruninger, Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Dr. Robert (Rob) Gruninger is a Research Scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre in Alberta. His research focuses on understanding how the rumen microbiome influences cattle health, productivity, and environmental sustainability. Using an integrated approach that combines animal trials, classical microbiology, genomics, and meta-omics, his work aims to uncover the microbial mechanisms that shape key outcomes in beef production systems. His research addresses several major challenges facing the beef industry, including developing strategies to mitigate enteric methane emissions, understanding the microbial ecology and pathogenesis of liver abscesses in feedlot cattle, and determining how rumen microbial communities influence feed efficiency. Through extensive collaborations with animal scientists, microbiologists, and bioinformaticians in Canada and internationally, his work seeks to translate microbiome science into practical solutions that improve cattle health, enhance productivity, and reduce the environmental footprint of beef production.

Dr. Luis Tedeschi, Professor, University Texas A&M

Dr. Luis Tedeschi is a Professor, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Fellow, and Chancellor EDGES Fellow at the Department of Animal Science at the University Texas A&M, and an Honorary Professor at the Dipartimento di Scienze Agraria at the University of Sassari, Italy. He is recognized internationally for his accomplishments in modeling the nutrition of ruminants. His impactful research and outreach efforts have yielded successful partnerships. Dr. Tedeschi has received several prestigious awards for his achievements. In 2011, Dr. Tedeschi received a prestigious McMaster Fellowship to conduct modeling research at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Livestock Industries. In 2012, he received the TAMU AgriLife Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence – International Involvement. In 2013, he was awarded the distinguished J. William Fulbright Scholarship to collaborate with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation to develop nutrition models that enhance the understanding of ruminant production’s impact on the global warming effect through the emission of methane. In 2016, Tedeschi was designated a TAMU AgriLife Research Faculty Fellow for his exceptional research contributions to resilience and sustainability in animal agriculture. In 2017, he received the respected American Feed Industry Association’s Ruminant Nutrition Research award for his seminal work at the NASEM. In 2018, Dr. Tedeschi received the COALS Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Award – International Involvement. In 2019, Dr. Tedeschi became a Chancellor Enhancing Development and Generating Excellence in Scholarship Fellow and received the TAMU AgriLife Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence – Research for his impactful and worldwide recognized nutrition models. In 2020, Tedeschi received:

• the prestigious Federation of Animal Science Societies-American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) New Frontiers in Animal Nutrition Award,
• the ASAS Animal Growth and Development Award for the re-engineering of the widely used computer model for the Beef Cattle Nutrient Requirement released in 2016 by the National Academies, and
• the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Research.

In 2022, Dr. Tedeschi received the Association of Former Students (AFS) and TAMU Distinguished Achievement Award for Research, as well as the Bouffault International Animal Agriculture Award by the ASAS. In 2023, Tedeschi was named the ASAS Fellow Award-Research, which recognizes a member of ASAS who has rendered distinguished service to the animal industry and had continuous membership in the ASAS for at least twenty-five years.

Dr. Bart Lardner, Professor, University of Saskatchewan

Dr. Bart Lardner is a Professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Saskatchewan, where he mentors undergraduate and graduate students and teaches beef cattle nutrition and forage management. For the past 30 years, his research has focused on applied beef and forage management including water quality, summer and winter grazing systems, heifer development, applied genomics and industry impact on the environment. Dr. Lardner works closely with producers to ensure the applicability of results back to industry.

Dr. Obioha Durunna, Research Scientist and Adjunct Professor, Lakeland College, University of Saskatchewan

Dr. Obioha Durunna is a Research Scientist in Livestock Management Systems at Lakeland College and Adjunct Professor at the University of Saskatchewan. His research focuses on production-efficiency profiling of livestock and integrated crop-livestock strategies to improve productivity and sustainability in beef and dairy systems. Dr. Durunna collaborates with industry partners and other research institutions to advance priority areas in the livestock sector, evaluating emerging technologies and practices. He also manages the production-efficiency profiling services and mentors students.

Tatum Schooley, MSc Student, University of Guelph

Tatum Schooley is currently finishing a master’s degree in animal biosciences at the University of Guelph. Her research explores novel methods of dewatering solids-non-fat surplus from the milk processing industry, and the resulting effects on production and performance when including milk byproducts in ruminant diets. Her work aims to address pertinent issues of solids-non-fat surplus, reduce food loss, and promote a circular economy within the agri-food industry.

Dr. Ruurd Zijlstra, Professor, University of Alberta

Dr. Ruurd Zijlstra is Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta. He was born and raised in The Netherlands where he completed an MSc program at Wageningen University. In 1996, he completed a PhD program at the University of Illinois. He has produced 197 scientific papers and 14 book chapters mostly on the topic of swine nutrition. His current research program focuses on unique aspects of dietary starch and fiber, the nutritional quality of co-products, and feed quality evaluation techniques. He received the 2018 Nonruminant Nutrition Award from the American Society of Animal Science – American Feed Industry Association.

Dr. Ivan Rychlik, Group Leader, Veterinary Research Institute of Czech Republic

Dr. Ivan Rychlik is a Group Leader at the Veterinary Research Institute in Brno, Czech Republic and professor of microbiology at the Veterinary University, Brno, Czech Republic. His main research interests include the characterisation of chicken gut microbiota with a special emphasis on the identification of chicken gut microbiota members improving gut health and production parameters in commercial poultry flocks. Based on his research, he together with his team have developed a new probiotic product, QuoCNA, which consists of a defined mixture of nine different strict gut anaerobes belonging to genera Bacteroides, Megamonas and Megasphaera. The product is intended for use in newly hatched chicks and has been commercially available in the Czech Republic since 2024.

Dr. Su A Lee, Research Scientist, University of Illinois

Dr. Su A Lee is is an incoming Assistant Professor in Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her academic journey includes earning BSc and MSc degrees in Animal Science from Konkuk University in Seoul, Korea, followed by a PhD degree in Animal Sciences from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Lee’s research expertise includes conducting various swine nutrition experiments related to digestibility and body utilization of nitrogen and amino acids, minerals, and energy, as well as use of feed additives and feed technology. Following her PhD, she managed data from net energy experiments conducted in the swine calorimeter unit during her time as a postdoctoral researcher and Research Scientist. She has published 60 manuscripts as a first or co-author, three book chapters, and 68 abstracts and has delivered 16 invited presentations.

Dr. Martin Nyachoti, Professor, University of Manitoba

Dr. Martin Nyachoti is a Professor at the University of Manitoba and a Fellow of the Canadian Society of Animal Science. He holds a BSc (Agric.) from the University of Nairobi and a MSc and PhD degrees in animal nutrition from the University of Guelph. Dr. Nyachoti’s current research focuses on nutrition and gut health in non-ruminants, energy and nutrient utilization, and feed ingredient evaluation. Dr. Nyachoti has mentored over 50 graduate students. His current publication record includes over 300 peer-reviewed journal articles, and he has given over 100 invited presentations at national and international events. His work has been recognized with several awards, including the Award for Excellence in Nutrition and Meat Sciences from the Canadian Society of Animal Science and the America Feed Industry Association Nonruminant Nutrition Award from the American Society of Animal Science.

Ashley Kok, MSc Student, University of Alberta

Ashley is a Master’s student in Animal Science at the University of Alberta. She was born in Hong Kong, where livestock are not commonly seen, but she has always been interested in working with animals, and that interest has only grown over time. Her current research focuses on better meeting the nutrient requirements of late-gestating sows using a phase-feeding strategy. She hopes to continue making nutrition and feeding strategies more practical and adaptable in livestock production.

Dr. Reza Abdollahi, Adjunct Professor, Massey University

Dr. Reza Abdollahi is currently affiliated with the Monogastric Research Centre, at Massey University as an Adjunct Professor of Poultry Nutrition. He is also founder of “A2Z Poultry Feed DynamikZ”, an international independent research and consultancy firm based in France. Dr. Abdollahi has published in top-ranking animal science journals and already has over 200 scientific communications, including 97 peer-reviewed articles and two book chapters, to his credit. As an invited and keynote speaker, Dr. Abdollahi has presented his work at several international conferences such as the European Poultry Conference (EPC, 2014), the European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition (ESPN, 2017), the International Broiler Nutritionists’ Conference (2014, 2017, 2024), the FEDNA meeting (2018, 2024, 2025), the Asia-Pacific Poultry Conference (2018), the Australian Poultry Science Symposium (APSS, 2019), the First International Feed Technology Conference (IFTC, 2019), the 2021 PSA Annual Meeting, and more than 80 international industry conferences, workshops and roadshows. Dr. Abdollahi was recognized among the top 2% most influential researchers worldwide (Stanford/Elsevier) for 2025. His research interest has a strong applied focus and is relevant to the poultry industry’s current challenges. His current interest is poultry nutrition with a focus on feed processing, feed evaluation, and nutrient utilization.