Being a Poultry nutritionist I am extensively involved in planning, executing, analysing and reporting commercial nutritional projects. I work closely with the national and international poultry industry and my research focuses on the following four primary areas:

1) Nutritive evaluation of feedstuffs to expand and improve poultry feed resources,
2) Exploring the role of nutritional interventions to improve production, gut health, carcass quality and welfare indicators such as footpad and hock scores, feather pecking etc. in broilers, laying hens and turkeys.
3) Advancing the understanding of the application of exogenous feed additives to improve nutrient utilization, modulate gut health, reduce feed cost and minimize nutrients excretion into the environment.
4) Use of chicken infection models to investigate host-pathogen interactions to advance our understanding of infections such as Campylobacter, coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis in developing strategies to improve gut health by encouraging the development of a beneficial microbial community.

My studies range from proof of concept to novel in-depth investigations to unveil the mode of action of the novel products tested. The overall aim remains to understand how the novel idea/product will influence animal production, gut health, bird's resilience and animal welfare. 

• HNC in Poultry Production, SRUC
  • Module leader for Incubation of hatching eggs.
  • Module leader for Poultry Nutrition and Feed formulation 
•  MSC in Applied Poultry Science, University of Edinburgh
  •   Module leader for Poultry Feed, Nutrition & Digestion

Current Ongoing Projects

2021-2022: DSM funded research: Novel feed additives and their impact on poultry productivity and health (£136,300.86). Principal investigator 

2021-2022: Adisseo funded research:  Efficacy of Novel Phytase in broilers and layers (£158,837.00). Principal investigator 

2019-2021: FermentationExperts funded research: Novel feed additives and their impact on Campylobacter Jejuni colonization and growth (£58.894.75). Principal investigator 

2019-2021: Vetagro SPA funded project: Zootechnical Interventions to improve feed efficiency, productivity and gut health in broilers (£56,000). Principal investigator 

Past projects (Past 5 years)

2019-2020: DSM funded research: Efficacy of novel feed additives in poultry (£122,447.76). Principal investigator 

2018-2020: Neovia funded research: Nutritional interventions to reduce Campylobacter colonisation in broilers (£50,161.00). Principal investigator 

2019: HOCKLEY INTERNATIONAL funded research: Alternative for poultry litter amendment (£22,921.00).Principal investigator 

2018-2019: ELANCO-funded research: Non-antibiotic nutritional approach to promote growth and health (£85,462.00). Principal investigator 

2015-2017: Akeso Biomedical funded research: Nutritional interventions to inhibit Campylobacter Jejuni biofilm formation and caecal colonisation in broilers (£463,568.47) Principal investigator 

2015-2018: Evonik: Tryptophan requirement for enriched cage layers (£73,394) Principal investigator 

 PhD Students
•    Allison Craig. Supervisor. “Strategic Use of Carbohydrases in Broiler Diets to Increase Productivity by Improving Gut Health”.
•    Marwa Hussein. Co-Supervisor. “Sensitivity of ideal protein nutrition to gut health”.

MSC Research 

•    Tara Mc Meel: Supervisor. The Impact of Egg Storage Duration on Hatchability and Chick Quality of The Silver Hill Duck Egg. 
•    Sarika Devi Fakeer. Supervisor. Effect of Supplemented Butyric acid on Growth Performance of Commercial Broiler
•    Lyndsey Cassidy. Supervisor. The Influence of the hatch window on yolk sac utilisation in commercial and non-commercial broiler breeder chicks.
•    Ernst Beitler. Supervisor.The effect of different fibre sources in the diet on production performance of Lohmann Brown Classic laying hens
•    Scott Dewart. Supervisor. The effect of different levels of dietary Tryptophan on production and feather pecking behaviour of laying hens 
•    Andrew Scott, Supervisor. “to investigate the effect of an extended bleeding time on the carcass and meat quality of broilers”
•    Alla Levchenko. Supervisor. To investigate the effect of different dietary fiber components on digesta osmolality and excreta moisture level of broiler chickens.
•    Mark McConville. Supervisor. Evaluation of the effects of diets varying in amino acid contents and supplementing with or without protease on growth performance and nutrient digestibility in broilers
•    Naser Asheen. Co supervisor “Evaluation of the effects of reducing crude protein content and supplementing with crystalline amino acids on growth performance and litter quality in turkey”.

• Committees and Other Bodies
  • Membership Secretary WPSA UK Branch (2008-ongoing)
  • Treasurer WPSA UK Branch (2008-ongoing)