ABOUT ME

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Manitoba.

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With my background in environmental biology, I am interested in the health and welfare of many species.

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My most recent postdoctoral research at the University of Guelph identified the major factors contributing to wildlife morbidity, mortality, and admittance to rehabilitation centres in Canada.

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Before that, my postdoctoral research at the University of Guelph was focused on:

1) Molasses-based liquid feed supplementation to early-lactation cows in robotic milking herds,

2) Machine-learning using milking and behaviour data to create illness detection algorithms, in collaboration with the University of Calgary,

3) A survey of management practices, nutrition, and cow health on 200 robotic milking farms across Canada, and

4) A survey of dairy farmer mental health and how it may relate to the management and health of their cows.

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I completed my graduate studies at the University of Guelph. My PhD projects looked at factors affecting productivity and cow behaviour in robotic milking systems, such as management, barn design, and health disorders, particularly lameness. My MSc project focused on how the timing of fresh feed delivery, relative to the time cows are milked, impacts their behaviour and productivity.

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During my undergraduate studies at Queen’s University, I worked with fish and aquatic invertebrates, spending my time outside of school working at local veterinary clinics and the Kingston Humane Society. After spending time on the road with a local large animal veterinarian, I wanted to work with dairy cows.

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In my free time and to look after my mental health, I spend as much time as I can outside with my husband and dogs.