Project Title: HoloRuminant

Overview: Holoruminant is an EU wide collaboration working to elucidate the role of different corporal and environmental microbiomes associated with ruminants and ruminant production systems. Sabine’s primary field of work is to explore the role and development of calf microbiomes in early life, especially during times of illness and critical developmental stages. She will also be helping with a longitudinal study designed to follow the development of dairy heifer microbiomes from birth to first calf. The goal being to develop a knowledge base of ruminant microbiomes that can be used to help better manage health and welfare of animals as well as the environmental impact of ruminant production, and thus more sustainable production systems. Sabine is originally from New York, USA and worked for 8 years as an Animal Science Educator and Livestock advisor in Cooperative Extension before leaving to pursue a Master’s of Science and Engineering in Sustainable and Innovative Agriculture and now a PhD in ruminant microbiomes and sustainable production with Teagasc and University College Dublin. Cattle, sheep and goats have always been her favourite animals to work with, however, she also has also spent a lot of time working with poultry, swine, camelids, and horses.

Programme Area: Animal Bioscience Research 

Supervisors: Sinead Waters, Bernadette Earley and Catherine McAloon

Location: Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre Teagasc, Grange, Dunsany Co. Meath 

Funding Source: Teagasc