Nadia Everaert

Nadia Everaert is an associate professor at KU Leuven’s Department of Biosystems, affiliated with the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering and the Leuven One Health Institute. She leads the Nutrition and Animal-Microbiota EcoSystems (NAMES) Lab, focusing on microbiota-host interactions and gut health in poultry and pigs. Her research aims to improve animal resilience through nutritional manipulations.

Education: BSc/MSc in Bioscience Engineering from KU Leuven (1999–2004), PhD in Avian Embryonic Development (2008). Postdoctoral work included molecular biology studies in France. She was a faculty member at Liège University (2013–2021) before returning to KU Leuven.

Research Interests: Microbiota colonization, gut health, pre/probiotics, in vitro fermentation models, maternal programming, and sustainable livestock practices. The NAMES Lab investigates host-microbiota interactions to enhance animal performance and health via nutritional strategies.

Recent projects include studies on earthworms in broiler diets, probiotics in piglets, and the impact of hatching methods on broiler gut health. Her work addresses antibiotic reduction and sustainable feed alternatives.

Teaching: Courses on nutrition, animal welfare, poultry/pig farming, and functional biochemistry. Supervises PhD students and postdocs in her lab.

Service: Member of the Animal Ethics Commission at KU Leuven and HUB-KAHO, Board Member of the Belgian WPSA, and expert for ANSES (France) on animal nutrition.

Labs/Teams: NAMES Lab personnel include postdocs, PhD students, and lab technicians. Collaborations span institutions like INRAE (France) and Shandong Agricultural University (China).