Our Organisation Search
Quick Links
Toggle: Topics

Paul Smith

Research Officer – Beef Cattle Production and Rumen Microbiology

Research Interests

  • Rumen microbiology
  • Developing strategies to reduce enteric methane emissions from ruminants via breeding and dietary supplementation
  • Beef cattle nutrition
  • Calf health

Paul is a researcher for the Teagasc Climate Centre. He is based in Teagasc Grange.

Current Projects

HoloRuminant 2021-2025:  Understanding microbiomes of the ruminant holobiont. Horizon 2020. (Participant)

Methane-Predict 2023-2027: Development and Validation of high throughput predictors for large capacity screening of methane emitting ruminant livestock at an individual and system level. DAFM IE-NZ Joint Call 2022. (Participant)

RU_MINING 2023-2027: RUmen microbiome MINING for bacterial cultures to reduce methane. DAFM IE-NZ Joint Call 2022. (Participant).

Education

2017-2022: Ph.D. in Rumen Microbiology and Animal Science (University College Dublin)

2012-2016: B.Agr.Sc. Animal Science (University College Dublin)

Career

2023- to date: Research Officer (Teagasc)
2021-2022:  Postdoctoral Researcher (Teagasc)
2016-2017: Agricultural Policy Officer (Macra na Feirme)

Professional Membership

British Society of Animal Science
American Society of Animal Science

View Paul's Google Scholar profile 

  • McLoughlin, S., Spillane, C., Campion, F.P., Claffey, N., Sosa, C.C., McNicholas, Y., Smith, P.E., Diskin, M.G. and Waters, S.M. 2023. Breed and ruminal fraction effects on bacterial and archaeal community composition in sheep. Scientific Reports. 13.
  • Cummins, S., Lanigan, G.J., Richards, K.G., Boland, T.M., Kirwan, S.F., Smith, P.E., Waters, S.M. Solutions to Enteric Methane Abatement in Ireland. (In press Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research).
  • Smith, P.E., Kelly, A.K., Kenny, D.A. and Waters, S.M. 2022. Differences in the composition of the rumen microbiota of finishing beef cattle divergently ranked for residual methane emissions. Frontiers in Microbiology. 13.
  • Smith, P.E., Waters, S.M., Kenny, D.A., Kirwan, S.F., Conroy, S. and Kelly, A.K. 2021. Effect of divergence in residual methane emissions on feed intake and efficiency, growth and carcass performance, and indices of rumen fermentation and methane emissions in finishing beef cattle. Journal of Animal Science. 99.
  • Smith, P.E., Waters, S.M., Expósito, R.G., Smidt, H., Carberry, C.A. and McCabe, M.S. 2020. Synthetic sequencing standards: a guide to database choice for rumen microbiota amplicon sequencing analysis. Frontiers in Microbiology. 11.
  • McLoughlin, S., Spillane, C., Claffey, N., Smith, P.E., O’Rourke, T., Diskin, M.G. and Waters, S.M. 2020. Rumen microbiome composition is altered in sheep divergent in feed efficiency. Frontiers in Microbiology. 11.
  • Smith, P.E., Waters, S.M., Kenny, D.A., Boland, T.M., Heffernan, J. and Kelly, A.K. 2020. Replacing barley and soybean meal with by-products, in a pasture based diet, alters daily methane output and the rumen microbial community in vitro using the rumen simulation technique (RUSITEC). Frontiers in Microbiology. 11.
  • Smith, P.E., Enriquez-Hidalgo, D., Hennessy, D., McCabe, M.S., Kenny, D.A., Kelly, A.K. and Waters, S.M. 2020. Sward type alters the relative abundance of members of the rumen microbial ecosystem in dairy cows. Scientific Reports. 10.
  • Smith, P.E., Kelly, A.K., Kenny, D.A. and Waters, S.M. 2023. Enteric methane mitigation strategies for pastoral based beef cattle production systems. Frontiers in Microbiology. 9.

Book Chapter

  • Waters S.M., Kenny D.A., Smith P.E. Role of the rumen microbiome in pasture fed ruminant production systems in Improving rumen function. (ed.) McSweeney C. and Mackie R. (Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing).
  • Smith, P.E., Amin, N., Roskam, E., O’Rourke, M., Kirwan, S., Waters, S.M. Dietary based methane mitigation strategies for ruminant livestock. (in review as part of a book chapter for the Nutrition Society).

Works in Progress

 

 

  • Bilton, T.P., Smith, P.E., Waters, S.M., Flay, H., Zetouni, L., Roche, J., Hess, M.K., Patricia L. Johnson, P.L., Henry, H., C. C. Budel, J.C.C.,  McEwan, J.C., Noronha, G., McNaughton, L.R., Peraza, P., Navajas, E.A and Rowe, S.J. Enteric Fermentation Flagship Project: Profiling Rumen Microbiomes for Methane Emission Prediction in Bovine Species. Book of abstracts from the 8th International Greenhouse Gas & Animal Agriculture Conference. June 6-9th, 2022. P26.
  • Kelly, A.K., Waters, S.M. Kenny, D.A., Kirwan, S.F., Smith, P.E. 2022. Rumen Microbial Biomarkers Improve Prediction Equations for Enteric Methane Emissions in Cattle. Book of abstracts from the 8th International Greenhouse Gas & Animal Agriculture Conference. June 6-9th, 2022. P218.
  • Smith, P.E., Kelly, A.K., Kenny, D.A., Kirwan, S.F. and Waters, S.M. 2022. The Identification of Rumen Microbial Biomarkers Associated with Residual Methane Emissions in Cattle. Book of abstracts from the 8th International Greenhouse Gas & Animal Agriculture Conference. June 6-9th, 2022. P217.
  • Smith, P.E., Waters, S.M., Kenny, D.A., Kirwan, S.F., Conroy, S. and Kelly, A.K. Ireland’s first large scale measurement of methane emissions in beef cattle. GGAA GreenFeed Morning Workshop. June 5th, 2022.
  • Smith, P.E., Kelly, A.K., Kenny, D.A. and Waters, S.M. 2021. Individual members of the rumen archaeal community differ in cattle ranked based on residual methane production. Proceedings from the 12th International Symposium on Gut Microbiology. October 13-15th, 2021. P115.
  • Kirwan, S.F., McLoughlin, S., O’Hara, E., Smith, P.E., Kenny, D.A., Waters, S.M. 2021. Trajectory of colon microbiota colonization in the bovine neonate. Proceedings from the 12th International Symposium on Gut Microbiology. October 13-15th, 2021. P86.
  • Smith, P.E., Waters, S.M., Kenny, D.A., Kirwan, S.F., Conroy, S. and Kelly, A.K. 2021. The effect of phenotypically ranking beef cattle for residual methane output on daily methane emissions, intensity and animal productivity. Proceedings from the British Society of Animal Science Virtual Conference. April 12-15th, 2021. P18.
  • Smith, P.E., Kenny, D.A., Kelly, A.K., McCabe, M.S., Conroy, S. and  Waters, S.M. Reducing Methane Emissions from Irish agriculture - the role of the rumen microbiome. C Lock Inc webinar series. September 25th, 2020.
  • Smith, P.E. and Waters, S.M. Estimating Enteric Methane Production from Cattle. World Wildlife Federation The Potential for Seaweed as Livestock Feed. November 12th, 2020.
  • Smith, P.E., Heffernan, J., Waters S.M., Boland, T.M., Kenny, D.A., Kelly, A. K. 2019. High by-product inclusion rate to pasture diets reduces methane production and alters the rumen microbiome. Proceedings from the 7th GGAA – Greenhouse Gas and Animal Agriculture Conference, Iguassu Falls, Brazil. August 4-8th, 2019. P102.
  • Smith, P.E., Conroy, S., Kelly, A.K., Kenny, D.A., Waters, S.M. 2019. Cattle ranked in terms of methane intensity have reduced methane output and heavier carcass weight. Proceedings from the 7th GGAA – Greenhouse Gas and Animal Agriculture Conference, Iguassu Falls, Brazil. August 4-8th, 2019. P47.
  • Smith, P.E., Kenny, D.A., Kelly, A.K., McCabe, M.S., Conroy, S. and  Waters, S.M. An update from the Irish consortium of RumenPredict. Feed and Nutrition Network Workshop - LRG/GRA GLOBAL NETWORK project. Brazil. August 4th, 2019.
  • Smith P., Enriquez-Hidalgo, D., Hennessy, D., McCabe, M., Kenny, D.A., Kelly, A., Waters, S. 2019. Archaea and members of the family, Lachnospiraceae, are altered in the rumen microbiome of cattle divergent in methane yield grazing perennial ryegrass swards with and without white clover. Proceedings from the British Society for Animal Science, Edinburgh, Scotland. April 9-11th, 2019. P86.
  • Smith, P., Enriquez-Hidalgo, D., Hennessy, D., McCabe, M., Kenny, D. A, Kelly A., Waters, S. 2018. Effect of grazing perennial rye grass swards with and without the inclusion of white clover on the rumen microbiome of dairy cattle. Microbiomes Underpinning Agriculture, Cork, Ireland. October 1-2nd, 2018. P28.
  • McGovern, E., McGee, M., Fitzsimons, C., Smith, P., Coyle, S., Kenny, D.A., Kelly, A., Waters, S. 2018. Characterisation of the rumen archaeal and bacterial populations in Charolais and Holstein Friesian steers offered a pasture based diet phenotypically divergent for residual feed intake. Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on the Nutrition of Herbivores, Clermont, France. September 2-6th, 2018. P 357