Diego Moya

Dr. Diego Moya is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan. His expertise spans animal behavior and welfare, particularly in food animals like beef cattle. He holds a DVM (2005), MSc (2008), and PhD (2011) from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. His postdoctoral work at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) focused on using behavioral pattern recognition for early disease detection and chronic stress assessment in livestock. He also served as an Interdisciplinary Research Fellow at Aberystwyth University, exploring gut-microbiome-brain interactions in farm animals.

His research integrates animal behavior, physiology, and precision farming to optimize welfare and productivity. Key areas include pain management during livestock procedures, feed additive efficacy, and the impact of early-life management on cattle health. He teaches topics such as animal welfare ethics, pain assessment, and the physiological basis of behavior.

Dr. Moya’s work emphasizes non-invasive technologies like accelerometry and infrared thermography to monitor animal well-being. Recent studies address lameness in feedlots, hair cortisol as a stress biomarker, and the role of starch in finishing diets. His research bridges veterinary science with sustainable agricultural practices.