Milking Machine Function Professors and Supervisors

Sara MillerView profile

Lecturer

Flinders UniversityAustralia

Sara Miller is a Lecturer in Analytical Chemistry at Flinders University's College of Science and Engineering. She holds a PhD from the University of Otago (2014) and has extensive experience in vibrational spectroscopy, particularly Raman and infrared techniques. Her research focuses on applying these methods to pharmaceuticals, biominerals, food quality assessment, and medical diagnostics. She is an Associate Editor for Applied Spectroscopy and active in professional organizations like the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. Education: PhD in Analytical Chemistry (University of Otago, 2014) Postgraduate Diploma in Science (University of Otago, 2010) Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (University of Otago, 2009) Research Interests: Optimization of vibrational spectroscopic techniques for compositional analysis Application of chemometrics for data interpretation Development of non-destructive diagnostic tools Pharmaceutical solid-state characterization Biomineral structure-function relationships Awards: University of Otago Early Career Award for Research Excellence (2023) ACES-NZIC Early Career Award (2022) Professional Activities: Instrument leader for FMMA Raman microscopy facilities Topic coordinator for Analytical Chemistry II and III courses Council member of the Australian and New Zealand Optical Society Key Collaborations: Te Whai Ao - Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies (Principal Investigator 2021-2023) Multi-institutional projects in pharmaceutical analysis and food science

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JAVIER MATEO OYAGÜEView profile

Professor

University of León (ULE)Spain

JAVIER MATEO OYAGÜE is a Professor at the Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Universidad de León. His work focuses on ovine nutrition , meat quality optimization , and food safety , with a particular emphasis on dietary interventions and analytical methodologies. Research Interests: Metabolic programming in livestock, application of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) for meat analysis, sustainable feed ingredients (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower), and lipid metabolism. Scientific Contributions: Pioneering studies on methionine supplementation long-term effects, sodium reduction in traditional meats using glasswort, and microbial safety through natural antimicrobials. Awards: Received the XI Premio Andrés Pintaluba (2023) for innovative research in dairy sheep feed.

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Aroa Suárez VegaView profile

Professor

University of León (ULE)Spain

Aroa Suárez Vega is a Professor in the Department of Animal Production at the University of León's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Her research focuses on integrating genomic and transcriptomic tools to improve dairy sheep production efficiency, particularly through epigenetic regulation and biomarker discovery. She leads the MEGA (Animal Genetic Improvement) research group and specializes in feed efficiency, milk traits, and bioinformatics applications for livestock improvement. PhD in Animal Production (University of León, 2015) Supervised by Dr. Beatriz Gutiérrez Gil and Dr. Juan José Arranz Santos Her work combines machine learning approaches with omics technologies to understand complex traits in sheep, including milk fat regulation, fertility mechanisms, and host-pathogen interactions during mastitis. She also contributes to educational innovation in animal breeding courses through gamification and interactive learning tools. Recent research trends highlight her expertise in: Milk transcriptome analysis for feed efficiency biomarkers Epigenetic programming from early-life nutritional interventions Circular RNA and lncRNA characterization in adipose tissues Meta-analysis of genomic data across livestock species Educational tool development for quantitative genetics Aroa's publications demonstrate strong interdisciplinary focus bridging genomic science with practical dairy management applications, particularly in Spanish dairy breeds like Assaf and Churra.

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Ryan DilgerView profile

Professor

University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUnited States

Ryan Dilger is a Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with additional appointments as Professor in Nutritional Sciences, Professor at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Professor at the Center for Digital Agriculture, National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), and Affiliate at the Personalized Nutrition Initiative, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. He also serves as Director of the Illinois Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation. Dr. Dilger's research integrates animal nutrition, immunophysiology, and neuroscience, with a focus on comparative animal nutrition and the biochemical aspects of proteins and amino acids. His laboratory specializes in using translational piglet models to investigate how nutrient intake and infection during the neonatal period affect brain development and cognitive function, particularly learning and memory. His work explores the gut-brain axis, examining how nutritional interventions influence microbiome composition and subsequent neural outcomes. Current research includes studies on iron deficiency, choline metabolism, prebiotics, and novel dietary components like milk fat globule membrane and lactoferrin. His recent publications demonstrate a strong interdisciplinary approach combining agricultural technology, neuroscience, and nutritional science. The research trends show consistent focus on developing translational animal models, particularly piglets, to address both practical agricultural challenges and fundamental questions about human nutrition and neurodevelopment. His work bridges basic science with potential applications in pediatric nutrition and animal health. Dr. Dilger actively mentors students in his Piglet Nutrition & Cognition Laboratory, including undergraduate researchers like AJ Patsavas and Rebecca Moll who presented honors theses on fiber effects on piglet behavior and neuroplasticity, respectively. Graduate students such as Stephen Fleming and Austin Mudd have collaborated on significant publications. His laboratory has secured funding for research examining the connections between nutrition, gut health, and brain development, with applications for both animal agriculture and human health. The Piglet Nutrition & Cognition Laboratory operates as a multidisciplinary research team using advanced technologies including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess brain development. The lab has established protocols like the novel object recognition task for evaluating piglet cognition and has published in high-impact journals across animal science, nutrition, and neuroscience fields. Their research has implications for developing improved pediatric nutrition products and understanding early-life nutritional programming of brain function.

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Luciano CarusoView profile

Assistant Professor

Catania UniversityItaly

Luciano Caruso is an Assistant Professor of Agricultural Machinery and Mechanization at the University of Catania , affiliated with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment . His research focuses on agricultural mechanization , ergonomics and safety in farming operations , energy efficiency in subtropical crops , and soil conservation . He has co-authored approximately 130 publications in specialized journals. Education: Degree in Agricultural Science from the University of Catania. His work spans multiple domains: mechanization of citrus and prickly pear cultivation , harvesting systems for woody plants , pesticide distribution technologies , and post-harvest processing innovations . Recent projects include workplace safety protocols for agricultural labor and machine milking systems for livestock. Despite his extensive publication record, his Google Scholar profile curiously lists health-focused studies unrelated to his academic role.

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Olivier KashongweView profile

Researcher

Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and BioeconomyGermany

Olivier Kashongwe is a researcher at the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy in Potsdam, Germany, affiliated with the Sensor Technology and Modeling department. He also holds a position at the Faculty of Agriculture at Egerton University in Kenya. Research Focus: Integration of digitalization and machine learning in sustainable animal production, particularly mastitis risk assessment in dairy farming and climate-smart agriculture implementation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Projects: Contributed to initiatives like MEDICow (German-Irish collaboration on mastitis prediction) and INNOVAFRIKA (sustainable innovations in African crop-livestock systems). Scientific Contributions: Authored/co-authored multiple publications in 2025 (Preventive Veterinary Medicine), 2024 (AgriEngineering, Journal of Advanced Veterinary and Animal Research), 2023 (Regional Environmental Change), 2022 (Sustainability, Tropical Animal Health and Production), and 2021 (Antimicrobial Resistance, Foods). His work spans machine learning applications for dairy health monitoring, rangeland management, climate-smart agricultural policies, and feed treatment technologies.

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Tihomir KovačView profile

Assistant Professor

University of OsijekCroatia

Assistant Professor Tihomir Kovač is affiliated with the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek , specifically at the Faculty of Food Technology Osijek under the Department of Applied Chemistry and Ecology . His research focuses on environmental science, nanotechnology, and biochemistry, with a particular emphasis on food safety and mycotoxin contamination. Position: Assistant Professor University: Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek School: Faculty of Food Technology Osijek Department: Applied Chemistry and Ecology Tihomir Kovač's work explores the interaction between nanoparticles and mycotoxigenic fungi , such as Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium expansum . His studies include patulin and fusarium toxin analysis in fruits and cereals, polyphenol profiling in traditional apple varieties, and green extraction methods for bioactive compounds. He also investigates climate change impacts on fungal contamination and novel food processing techniques to enhance safety. The article trends highlight his expertise in mycotoxin regulation , nanoparticle applications , and traditional crop biochemistry . His publications frequently address EU food safety standards , analytical method validation , and environmental stressors on fungal metabolism.

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Tarık ŞafakView profile

Lecturer

Kastamonu UniversityTurkey

Tarık Şafak is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kastamonu University, specializing in Clinical Sciences - Veterinary Obstetrics and Gynecology. He holds a PhD in Obstetrics and Gynecology from Fırat University's Institute of Health Sciences (2017-2021) and completed his veterinary medicine degree at Ankara University (2010-2015). Previously served as Head of Department and Chief Physician at Kastamonu University Active in teaching courses like Clinical Applications IV (VET501) and Mammary Health (VET505) Conducts research on bovine mastitis, reproductive endocrinology, and cytokine dynamics His research focuses on veterinary reproductive health, particularly bovine mastitis diagnosis using electrical teat dipping, cytokine polarization analysis, and ultrasonography applications. Recent work explores machine learning for metritis detection and metabolic parameter prediction models in transition cows. Notable scientific contributions include 17 projects (e.g., TÜBİTAK grants) and 63 citations in Web of Science. Key awards: 2021 Agricultural Technologies Competition (TEKNOFEST). Collaborates with 95 researchers across institutions like Fırat University and Siirt University, with 41 peer-reviewed SCI/SSCI publications. His work spans dairy cattle health, feline reproductive physiology, and oxidative stress mechanisms. Active in academic service: Associate Editor for Veterinary Journal of Kastamonu University and member of Turkish Veterinary Gynecology Association since 2018.

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Bo WangView profile

Assistant Professor

Florida Institute of TechnologyUnited States

Dr. Bo Wang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology's College of Engineering and Science. His research bridges analytical chemistry, data science, and biological applications with a focus on metabolomics methodologies and their implementation across environmental and human health domains. Dr. Wang's research interests center on computational methods development in metabolomics with applications spanning drug discovery of food compounds, environmental science, and cancer mechanism studies. His work includes instrumentation analysis using NMR and HPLC/MS on natural compound extractions and metabolomic profiling studies examining responses to various environmental exposures. A significant focus is finding links between cancer metabolomic profiling and plant extract compounds to identify synergistic combinations. He also investigates combinatorial effects of environmental toxins using NMR-based metabolomics approaches. His recent publications demonstrate strong trends in integrating metabolomics with microbiome analysis to study gut-brain axis mechanisms, environmental toxin effects on marine organisms, and metabolic responses to dietary interventions. The research increasingly incorporates machine learning approaches for metabolomics data interpretation and emphasizes sex-specific responses in metabolic studies. National Science Foundation (NSF) LEAPS-MPS: $248,613 for Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Automatic NMR Metabolomics Data Processing (2021-2025) Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA): $200,000 for AI-Directed Tool Development for Pathogenic "Flesh-eating" Vibrio Bacteria Prediction and Control (2024-2027) National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01: $85,184 for Microbial therapy improves gut permeability to reduce cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (2021-2026) NSF Collaborative Research: $168,690 for Therapeutic and Diagnostic System for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (2023-2028) Dr. Wang actively mentors multiple PhD students including Julie Pollak (Metabolomics in human health), Moses Mayonu (Metabolomics data processing), Tammy Tran (Water pollutant treatment), and Saeedeh Babaee (Marine animal response to environmental toxins). His research group also includes several undergraduate students working on NMR-based metabolomics studies of milk products and tea extracts. The research is conducted through collaborations with institutions including University of South Florida, Florida State University, and Ohio University.

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AHMET BAŞTÜRKView profile

Associate Professor

Gaziantep UniversityTurkey

Ahmet Baştürk is an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine Sciences at Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine, specializing in Pediatric Gastroenterology within the Division of Child Health and Diseases. He has held this academic position since 2019 after serving as Assistant Professor from 2018-2019, with extensive clinical experience in pediatric gastroenterology across multiple Turkish hospitals. Education: Medical Degree (1997-2003): Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine Medical Specialization (2003-2008): Istanbul Bakırköy Women's and Children's Hospital Fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology (2013-2016): Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine Research Focus: Dr. Baştürk's work centers on pediatric gastrointestinal disorders with emphasis on food allergies , chronic diarrhea , and nutritional interventions . His research integrates clinical practice with genomic investigations of rare disorders like protein-losing enteropathies and metabolic diseases, while developing innovative diagnostic tools including AI applications for fat malabsorption detection. Publication Trends: Recent publications (2020-2025) demonstrate strong focus on genomic studies of pediatric gastrointestinal disorders, clinical trials of probiotics/hydrolyzed formulas, and rare disease mechanisms. His work bridges basic science (genetic variants, pathomechanisms) with clinical applications (diagnostic tools, therapeutic interventions) across immunology, hepatology, and nutrition specialties. Academic Contributions: He has supervised 3 master's theses and directed 2 major research projects including carbohydrate malabsorption studies in chronic diarrhea and inflammatory bowel disease investigations. His grant portfolio includes multicenter studies like the VICTORIA project on muscle diseases and the ISPAT study on cow's milk allergy management. Professional Engagement: Active in national societies including the Turkish Pediatric Gastroenterology Association and Turkish Liver Research Association, he regularly contributes to conferences and educational initiatives in pediatric nutrition and hepatology.

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Eileen GibneyView profile

Associate Professor

University College DublinIreland

Associate Professor Eileen Gibney is a faculty member in the School of Agriculture and Food Science at University College Dublin (UCD), serving as Deputy Director of the UCD Institute of Food and Health and Director of Executive Education. She is a Funded Investigator with the Insight Centre for Data Analytics and contributes to the BSc Human Nutrition program. Her educational background includes: BSc in Human Nutrition from Ulster University PhD from the Dunn Nutrition Unit, University of Cambridge (2001) MSc in Molecular Medicine from Trinity College Dublin (2003) Professor Gibney's research centers on personalised nutrition , investigating inter-individual variation in dietary responses and developing innovative technologies for personalised dietary feedback. Her work spans sustainable diets , dairy science , and cardiometabolic health , often through large-scale intervention studies like MyPlanetDiet and Food4Me. She integrates environmental sustainability with nutritional science, focusing on portion size standardization and digital dietary assessment tools. Her recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate leadership in sustainable diet research, dairy product health impacts, and AI applications in nutrition. Key trends include methodological innovations for global dietary guidelines, evaluation of dairy matrices on cholesterol metabolism, and development of culturally adapted digital tools like Foodbook24 for diverse populations. She has secured major funding as Principal Investigator for: Food4Me: Pan-European personalised nutrition intervention Food for Health Ireland: National food research consortium Insight Centre: Data analytics for nutrition and health FNS-Cloud: Framework for dietary data reuse Professor Gibney serves on the Public Health Nutrition sub-Committee of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and is a Trustee of the Nutrition Society of UK and Ireland. She previously served as Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning (2015-2019) and Director of the Irish Association for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (2010-2019).

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Risto RenkonenView profile

Professor

University of HelsinkiFinland

Risto Renkonen serves as a Professor in Chemistry and Microbiology within the Department of Bacteriology and Immunology at the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Medicine. He acts as a Supervisor in the Doctoral Programme in Biomedicine and maintains an active research profile with 248 publications and 10 ongoing projects, including significant EU-funded initiatives running through 2027-2028. His work is centered at the Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) and involves extensive collaboration with both academic and industry partners across Finland and internationally. Professor Renkonen's research spans multiple domains of biomedical science with particular emphasis on glycoproteomics, inflammation research, and comorbidity analysis. His work integrates advanced proteomic techniques with clinical applications, focusing on biomarker discovery for various conditions including obesity, cancer, transplantation outcomes, and respiratory diseases. His approach combines cutting-edge quantitative proteomics with data-driven methodologies to uncover disease mechanisms and develop predictive models for clinical applications. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward data-driven approaches in biomedicine, with increasing integration of machine learning techniques with proteomic data. His work bridges basic science and clinical applications, particularly in cancer research, transplantation medicine, and chronic inflammatory conditions. The research demonstrates a consistent focus on identifying biomarkers that can predict disease progression, treatment response, and clinical outcomes across multiple medical specialties. Hgin yo hopeinen mitali (August 12, 2010) Duodecim Lauri Saxen mitali (August 12, 2010) Medix palkinto (September 6, 2010) Professor Renkonen actively supervises doctoral students in the Biomedicine program and has served as a dissertation supervisor or co-supervisor. His research is supported by diverse funding sources including EU funding through the Uusimaa Federation, Business Finland, corporate partnerships with pharmaceutical companies (AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Orion), and TILT Biotherapeutics. His projects demonstrate strong translational potential with clear pathways to clinical applications. The Veturi_BF_100K_Cancer project (2025-2027) exemplifies his industry-academic collaboration model, bringing together multiple pharmaceutical partners to advance cancer research. His research activities connect with multiple laboratories and teams across the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, with particular emphasis on proteomics and glycoproteomics facilities. The research network extends to international collaborators and includes partnerships with Aalto University, the University of Eastern Finland, and Turku University through the SPARK Finland initiative. His work on the AirGOs2 project demonstrates collaboration with multiple European research groups focused on airway inflammation research.

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