معرفی
Dr. Miel Hostens is an Assistant Professor in Farm Animal Health at Utrecht University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, with additional affiliation at Ghent University. His work bridges dairy science and data science, focusing on precision livestock farming to monitor sustainable food production systems from a global perspective. He holds a 0.9 FTE position at Utrecht University and a 0.1 FTE at Ghent University, coordinating courses on data-driven precision agriculture at both institutions.
Hostens received his MSc in Veterinary Medicine from Ghent University in 2006 and completed his PhD in 2012 on 'Health and Fertility Challenges in High Yielding Dairy Cows during the Transition Period and the Use of Dietary Fatty Acids as an Optimization Strategy.' His academic journey includes extensive training in epidemiology, statistics, and data science, with over 15 post-graduate educations completed. He has attended more than 50 national and international trainings between 2007 and 2020, demonstrating deep commitment to continuous learning in his interdisciplinary field.
His research interests focus on applying data science methodologies to veterinary medicine, particularly in dairy cow health monitoring. He specializes in precision livestock farming, big data analytics, and herd health management. His work integrates sensor technology, machine learning, and traditional veterinary approaches to develop predictive models for health monitoring. He has established a new research focus area at the intersection of dairy and data science, creating innovative methodologies for monitoring sustainable food production systems.
Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend toward applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to dairy farming challenges. His work spans predictive modeling for transition period success, hypocalcaemia prediction, behavioral pattern analysis, and milk yield monitoring. The research increasingly integrates multi-source data streams including sensor data, milk composition, and behavioral observations to develop comprehensive health monitoring systems for dairy cows.
- Microsoft Research Grant (€150,000)
- Microsoft Research Grant (€25,000)
- Ambassador of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine within Utrecht University's Applied Data Science focus area
- Member of the Dairy Cattle Milk Recording Working Group of the International Committee for Animal Recording
Hostens has guided over 70 MSc students in Veterinary Medicine and currently supervises multiple PhD candidates. His research is supported by significant funding including a €9,000,000 European gpluse.eu consortium (FP7) project, a €1,300,000 VLAIO project, and a ZonMW research grant. He leads the 'Sense of Sensors' research-industry consortium focused on prediction of health indicators using common sensor technology in the Netherlands. His work has practical applications with industry partners including Delaval.com and DairyDataWarehouse.com.
Hostens established a research group that has grown through attracting MSc and PhD students, resulting in the completion of Jenne de Koster's PhD in 2016 and supervision of five ongoing PhD projects. His team frequently expands with visiting researchers, enhancing international collaboration. He serves as an advisor for 'De Tolakker' research farm, supporting Utrecht University's investment to transform it into a research innovation center for circular agriculture. His work connects with the Utrecht Platform for Applied Data Science and the Future Food Utrecht initiative.
