Faculty

Faculty

Richard Blatchford

Richard A. Blatchford

  • Associate Poultry Extension Specialist
  • Department of Animal Science
My research focus is on the husbandry, behavior, and welfare of small to large scale poultry production. I am particularly interested in understanding the challenges facing small scale and backyard poultry flocks as well as the impacts of housing systems on poultry health and welfare on large scale facilities. I am also interested in developing on farm assessment tools for producers to monitor the health and welfare of their own flocks.
2121 Meyer Hall
Hao Cheng

Hao Cheng

  • Associate Professor
  • Department of Animal Science
Development of statistical methods and computational algorithms for quantitative and statistical genetics, including genomic prediction and genome-wide association studies. Development of software tools for whole-genome analyses. Statistical models for –omic data.
2239 Meyer Hall
Mark Cooper

Mark Cooper

  • Assistant Professor
  • Department of Human Ecology
I am a geographer and interdisciplinary social scientist focused on climate change, agriculture, and the environment. My research draws on and engages political ecology, geographical political economy and economic geography, science and technology studies, applied ethics, critical policy studies, cultural economy, environmental sociology, and animal studies.
1335 Hart Hall, 1221 Meyer Hall
Anna Denicol

Anna C. Denicol

  • Associate Professor
  • Department of Animal Science
Reproductive and developmental biology. Paracrine and endocrine regulation of follicle and oocyte development and carry over effects of adverse environments during folliculogenesis on embryonic development. Biology of ovarian oocyte progenitor cells (oogonial stem cells) and their potential to improve and restore female fertility. application of basic concepts of reproductive biology and assisted reproductive techniques to improve animal and human health and efficiency of agriculture worldwide.
2201 Meyer Hall
Pouya Dini

Pouya Dini

  • Assistant Professor
  • Population Health and Reproduction
  • - School of Veterinary Medicine
Equine reproduction; Pathophysiology of placental development in the equine; Parental gene expression in the placenta;  Reciprocal paternal and maternal interaction in the equine's placental development; Host-pathogen interaction during placentitis; Assisted reproductive technique; Biotechnology of reproduction
Andrea Fascetti

Andrea J. Fascetti

  • Professor
  • Department of Molecular Biosciences - School of Veterinary Medicine
Companion animal nutrition: trace mineral and amino acid metabolism, feline and canine nutrient requirements, obesity, improvement of pet foods, the role of clinical nutrition in the management and prevention of disease.
Rodrigo Gallardo

Rodrigo A. Gallardo

  • Assistant Professor
  • Population Health and Reproduction
  • Assistant Professor
  • Poultry Medicine - School of Veterinary Medicine
Avian diseases, production and management, preventive measures to improve flock health, preventive veterinary medicine, vaccine design, molecular virology, food safety, commercial poultry improvement and international poultry development programs.
4009 Vet Med 3B
Jackson Gross

Jackson Gross

  • Assistant Professor of Aquaculture Extension
  • Department of Animal Science
The driving force in my current research program is to be at the forefront of environmental and production sustainability and ecological integrity. To achieve this vision my research is focused into three distinct, yet overlapping applied research themes; (1) Aquaculture, (2) Invasion Biology and (3) Environmental/Ecological Toxicology. This research usually addresses data gaps and provides scientific solutions, determined through rigorous experimentation, meeting the immediate biological and engineering needs of the aquaculture industry and natural resource community.
2117 Meyer Hall
Timothy Hackmann

Timothy Hackmann

  • Associate Professor
  • Department of Animal Science
Improving nutrition of ruminant livestock through study of microbes of the rumen; increasing supply of microbial protein available to animal digestion; discovering biochemical pathways that microbes use to ferment carbohydrates in feed.
2207 Meyer Hall
Lynette Hart

Lynette Hart

  • Professor
  • Population Health and Reproduction
Research Interests: Anthrozoology, including humans and their service dogs, impacts on humans of animal death, effects of humans on their pets’ behaviors, effects of timing of neutering dogs, mahouts’ relationships with elephants; and Animal Behavior, including elephant communication and social behavior, canine behavior
3207 VM3B
Matthias Hess

Matthias Hess

  • Associate Professor
  • Department of Animal Science
  • Helman Fellow
Systems microbiology, microbial proceses in natural and artificial ecosystems, microbes and microbial enzymes for agricultural, medical, and industrial applications, microbe-host interaction, gastrointestinal microbiology, biofuels, bioproducts, bioremediation, microbial dark matter.
2123 Meyer Hall
Ermias Kebreab

Ermias Kebreab

  • Associate Dean of Global Engagement, CA&ES /Professor and Sesnon Endowed Chair
  • Director, World Food Center
  • Department of Animal Science
Modeling sustainable agricultural production. Energy and nutrient requirements of cattle, swine, and poultry. Empirical, mechanistic, and simulation models of nutrient utilization. Modeling of nutrient dynamics in manure; and greenhouse gas emissions of animals, manure and soil.
2111 Meyer Hall
Annie King

Annie King

  • Professor
  • Department of Animal Science
Production measurements/biochemical functions in poultry associated with climate change; effects of probiotics, horticultural byproducts, and upcycled waste on production/biochemical functions, and nutritional quality of poultry meat and eggs; microbial transfer from laying hens to chicks.
1217 Meyer Hall
Fabio Lima

Fabio Lima

  • Assistant Professor
  • Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine
Regulation of ovarian function and development of reproductive programs in cattle, antimicrobial stewardship in livestock, genome microbiome interplay regulating cows health and productivity.
Elizabeth Maga

Elizabeth A. Maga

  • Professor
  • Department of Animal Science
Use of transgenic livestock to fight diarrheal illnesses; microbiota modulation and resistance to disease; translational research using the pig as an animal model; goat casein genotypes and milk functionality.
2125 Meyer Hall
Maja Makagon

Maja Makagon

  • Associate Professor
  • Department of Animal Science
My research program focuses on interplay between the behavior, welfare and management of poultry, including ducks, turkeys, laying hens and broilers; development of strategies to help minimize behavior-related poultry management issues while optimizing bird welfare and productions
2245 Meyer Hall
Sina Marsilio

Sina Marsilio

  • School of Veterinary Medicine/ Department of Medicine and Epidemiology
Focused on translational research in small animal gastroenterology under the One Health philosophy. One main focus of the lab is the gut microbiome and metabolome and its various effects on other organ systems including the gut-brain-axis and the peripheral immune system. Under this umbrella we also investigate novel treatment strategies including fecal microbiota transplantations. A second important research focus revolves around novel diagnostic and treatment options for feline chronic enteropathies including inflammatory bowel disease and feline low-grade intestinal T-cell lymphoma. We are closely collaborating with veterinary and human pathologists to identify novel biomarkers as diagnostic and therapeutic targets utilizing traditional (H&E, immunohistochemistry) and novel techniques. The Marsilio lab is proud to provide a diverse, inclusive, collaborative, and safe environment for everyone.
1275 Med Science Dr
Frank Mitloehner

Frank M. Mitloehner

  • Professor and Associate Extension Specialist: Air Quality
  • Department of Animal Science
Air quality research related to livestock production, especially quantification of ammonia, dust, and odor emissions in dairies, beef feedlots, and poultry operations. Environmental physiology research, focusing on effects of air emissions on animal health and welfare.
2151 Meyer Hall
Portrait of Dr. Carly Moody

Carly Moody

  • Assistant Professor
  • Animal Welfare Epidemiology
  • Department of Animal Science
Areas of research include improving access to cat health and behavior care, developing strategies to reduce procedural pain and stress, mitigating agonistic interactions in socially housed animals, and studying human-animal interactions. Research is conducted with a range of species, including companion cats, dairy goats, laboratory rodents, and fish..
2251 Meyer Hall
Kelly Nichols

Kelly Nichols

  • Assistant Professor
  • Department of Animal Science
Investigating flexibilities in nutritional physiology and metabolism for sustainable dairy cattle production; protein and energy metabolism in dairy cattle; mammary gland utilization of amino acids and energy substrates.
2203 Meyer Hall
James Oltjen

James W. Oltjen

  • Extension Specialist: Animal Management Systems
  • Department of Animal Science
Computer decision support software; beef quality assurance; standardized performance analysis for cattle and sheep ranches. Animal management systems; resource use in animal agriculture; beef cattle growth.
2153 Meyer Hall
Christina Pasparakis

Christina Pasparakis

  • Assistant Professor
  • Department of Environmental Toxicology
Physiology and Toxicology. The long-term goal of my research is to investigate the molecular and physiological mechanisms that allow organisms to cope with environmental stressors, including both anthropogenic and natural stressors. Specifically, I am interested in how stressor and toxin exposure in early life stages of local fish and invertebrate species translate to sublethal effects at later life stages.
Bodega Marine Laboratory, PO Box 247, 2099 Westshore Rd, Bodega Bay CA 94923
Lee Allen Pettey

Lee Allen Pettey

  • Lecturer (PSOE)
  • Director of Animal Science Curriculum
  • Department of Animal Science
Effectiveness of teaching methodologies and technologies as they apply to animal science courses; pedagogically sound approaches to curriculum and course development for traditional and non-traditional animal science students; applied livestock nutrition focusing on use of alternative feed ingredients.
2137 Meyer Hall
Alda Pires

Alda Pires

  • Associate Professor of Cooperative Extension||Urban Agriculture & Food Safety
  • Department of Population Health and Reproduction
Research focuses on developing and applying epidemiological tools to monitor food safety hazards and identify mitigation strategies to reduce the dissemination of foodborne pathogens in pre-harvest and the spread of infectious diseases in agricultural systems (including integrated crop-livestock, diversified, organic farms, small-scale and backyard farms).
4209 Vet Med 3B
Maurice Pitesky

Maurice Pitesky

  • Assistant Specialist
  • School of Veterinary Medicine-Cooperative Extension
Research interests are focused in three major areas: 1) Using "traditional" epidemiological techniques and GIS and spatial statistics to understand how avian diseases move in time and space. 2) Using Next Generation Sequencing technology to gain insights into the virulence and survivability of pathogens including Salmonella and Campylobacter. 3) Gaining a better understanding of 'micro'-commercial (i.e. small scale poultry production) with respect to environmental sustainability, poultry health, and food safety.
4007 Vet Med 3B
Noelia Silva del Rio

Noelia Silva del Rio

  • Lecturer, Assistant Specialist, and Cooperative Extension
  • Department of Population Health and Reproduction - School of Veterinary Medicine
Dairy herd health management including hypocalcemia, lameness, judicious use of antibiotics, and feeding and silage management
Heidi Rossow

Heidi Rossow

  • Professor
  • Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine
Computer modeling of nutrient metabolism systems analysis of dairy feed management and production including prevention of metabolic disease, and evaluating mitochondrial function of dairy cattle.
Picture of Andrew Rypel

Andrew Rypel

  • Professor
  • Department of Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology
Fish Ecology; Conservation Science; Ecosystem Ecology; Global Change; Macroecology; Fisheries Management; Freshwater Mussels
Payam Vahmani

Payam Vahmani

  • Assistant Professor
  • Nutritional Enhancement of Animal Sourced Foods
  • Department of Animal Science
Enhancing the nutritional and health value of animal-sourced foods for human consumption; Developing nutritional and management strategies to enhance the level of bioactive nutrients in animal-sourced foods; Examining health effects of functional/nutritionally enhanced animal-sourced foods using cell culture, animal models and clinical trials; Studying how animal-sourced foods foster human health (i.e. prevent chronic diseases and nutrient deficiencies), and their role in food security.
Xiang (Crystal) Yang

Xiang (Crystal) Yang

  • Associate Professor
  • Meat Scientist
  • Department of Animal Science
Meat safety; meat quality; shelf-life of meat and meat products; post-harvest food-borne pathogen control; characterizing pathogen and whole microbial community profiles present in meat production chain; effect of feeding system on degree of antimicrobial resistance and pathogen prevalence in livestock and poultry.
2237 Meyer Hall
Jin Zhang

Jin Zhang

  • Assistant Research Scientist
My research focuses on cancer biology in both human and comparative animals. We aim to understand the biological significance of tumor suppressors, e.g. p53 tumor suppressor family proteins, or oncogenes and their regulations in cancers by employing molecular cell biology, metabolomics, functional genomics (e.g. ChIP-seq and RNA-seq), bioinformatics, genetics and pharmacological approaches.
2126B Tupper Hall
Huaijun Zhou

Huaijun Zhou

  • Professor
  • Department of Animal Science
Research in immunogenetics, molecular genetics, functional genomics, and bioinformatics in poultry. Focused on elucidating the molecular and cellular mechanisms of host-pathogen interaction including disease resistance, immune response, and pathogenesis of infection. The overall goals are to understand genetic regulation of host response and basic mechanisms of pathogen virulence in animals, to identify host and pathogen genes that are involved in the host-pathogen interplay. The pathogens of interest are food-borne bacteria such as Campylobacter and Salmonella and avian influenza virus.
2247 Meyer Hall