Cornelia Christiane Metges

Cornelia Christiane Metges is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry in Nutrition at the University of Rostock and Head of the Nutritional Physiology Working Group at the Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN) in Dummerstorf. She has held these research and academic roles since 2001 and 2017, respectively, and has been a lecturer in animal nutrition at the University of Rostock since 2002.

Her educational background includes a doctorate (Dr. agr.) in Agricultural Sciences from the Technical University of Munich (1983–1987), habilitation in nutritional physiology (Dr. rer. nat. habil.) from the University of Potsdam (2001), and prior research experience as a visiting scientist at MIT (1995–1997).

Metges's research focuses on nutritional physiology of farm animals, particularly the impact of pre- and early postnatal nutrition on growth and development, amino acid and energy metabolism, and nutrient efficiency and emissions in livestock. Her work bridges fundamental metabolic research with applied animal science, aiming to improve animal health, productivity, and sustainability.

Her recent publications (2023–2025) show a strong trend in swine and poultry nutrition, with emphasis on low birthweight piglets, gut health, alternative feed sources (e.g., black soldier fly larvae, earthworms), stress physiology, and metabolic responses to infection and diet. She frequently employs advanced techniques such as transcriptomics, metabolomics, and stable isotope tracing.

She has taught courses such as 'Metabolism, Performance and Pathophysiology' and 'Biochemistry of Intermediate Metabolism' at the University of Rostock, and previously at the University of Potsdam and Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel.

She has collaborated extensively with researchers including Gürbüz Daş, Solvig Görs, Klaus Wimmers, and Henry Reyer, indicating active participation in interdisciplinary research teams at FBN.

Metges leads the Nutritional Physiology Working Group at FBN, which conducts research on metabolic regulation, nutrient utilization, and animal development. Her lab is involved in both experimental animal studies and collaborative projects addressing sustainable livestock production.