Stephen Butler

Research Interests

Stephen is a Principal Research Officer - Reproductive Physiology

• The effects of genetic merit for fertility traits on ovarian follicular development, uterine environment and embryo quality.
• Identify physiological mechanisms that underpin successful pregnancy establishment.
• Endocrinology of reproduction and nutrient partitioning.
• Design and evaluation of oestrus and ovulation synchronisation protocols for seasonal-calving systems, and development of decision-support systems to identify appropriate protocols.
• Use of micronutrients to improve reproductive performance of pasture-based dairy cows.
• Evaluating the potential role of sex-sorted semen in Irish dairy herds and implications for the dairy industry.
• Application of in vitro produced embryos to accelerate genetic gain for dairy and beef traits.

Current Projects

• A reproductive management decision aid for precision Irish dairy farming
• Accelerating genetic gain and improving beef output from dairy herds
• FertileBull: New strategies to predict and monitor semen fertility

Education

M.Sc. in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology (2011) University College Cork
Ph.D. in Reproductive Physiology (2004) Cornell University, USA
M.Agr.Sc. (1999) University College Dublin
B.Agr.Sc. (1997) University College Dublin

 

• Publications
• Students