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Experts in Animal Science

Are you a journalist with a need to contact experts in animal science? For example, individuals who have an expertise in pig welfare, sustainable milk production, ecological husbandry or a different area that involves animal science?

If so, then Department of Animal Science and Veterinary Sciences at Aarhus University can help you establish contact with our researchers in animal science. These individuals conduct research in many different fields. You can find animal scientists with an expertise in behaviour, welfare, animal models for human issues, fodder, nutrition, animal health, the climate, environment, management, health economy, production, reproduction, and ecological husbandry.

We have divided the researchers into several categories, which can be reached by clicking on the blue, rectangular buttons below, based on their areas of expertise.


Behaviour and welfare

Researchers at the Department of Animal Science who are experts in behaviour and welfare. These researchers specialize in cattle, pigs, poultry, minks, horses, use of terapeutic animals, and relations between domesticated animals and humans:

Lene Juul Pedersen

Professor - Section manager Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Behaviour, stress and welfare (BSW)

Fields of expertise

(Pigs)

  • Production environment
  • Behaviour and welfare, maternal behaviour
  • Pig mortality
  • Systems for untethered lactating pigs

Lene Munksgaard

Emeritus/Emerita VIP Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Behaviour, stress and welfare (BSW)

Fields of expertise

(Cattle)

  • Quantifying behavioral needs in cattle
  • Ability for adaptation and other proporties of individual productions
  • The impact on animal welfare of diverse rutines in management

Mette S. Herskin

Professor Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Behaviour, stress and welfare (BSW)

Fields of expertise

(Cattle and pigs)

  • Pain and disease behaviour
  • Disease-related special needs
  • Animal transportation and transportability

Jan Tind Sørensen

Professor - Section manager Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Management and Modelling (MAMO)

Fields of expertise

(Cattle and pigs)

  • Animal welfare evaluations
  • Production and health management
  • Disease prevention

Anja Brinch Riber

Senior Researcher Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Behaviour, stress and welfare (BSW)

Fields of expertise

(Poultry)

  • Unwanted behaviour in poultry
  • Development of preventive measures (barn furniture and environmental enrichment)
  • Methods for welfare evaluations
  • Welfare assessments

Steen Henrik Møller

Senior Researcher Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Management and Modelling (MAMO)

Fields of expertise

(Mink)

  • Welfare assessments in mink populations (WelFur)
  • Validation of welfare indicators
  • Welfare in group housings
  • Tools for welfare and production improvements

Jens Malmkvist

Senior Researcher Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Behaviour, stress and welfare (BSW)

Fields of expertise

(Mink)

  • Stress and temperament
  • Maternal proporties
  • Puppy survival
  • Nest box environment
  • Abnormal behaviour

Janne Winther Christensen

Associate Professor Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Behaviour, stress and welfare (BSW)

Fields of expertise

(Horses)

  • Stress, timidity, and learning ability of horses
  • Domestification and social behaviour
  • Training methods and welfare
  • Interactions between humans and animals

Karen Thodberg

Senior Researcher Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Behaviour, stress and welfare (BSW)

Fields of expertise

(Therapeutic animals)

  • Research in the use of animals for therapeutic purposes
  • Relations between animals and humans
  • Behaviour and degree of stress in therapeutic animals

Inger Anneberg

Emeritus/Emerita VIP Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Management and Modelling (MAMO)

Fields of expertise

  • Relations between domesticated animals and humans
  • Degree of comprehension and communication about animal welfare in the agricultural sector
  • Social relations in agriculture

Animal models for human issues

Researchers at the Department of Animal Science who are experts in using animal models to understand health and diseases in humans. These researchers specialize in bioactive components in foods, phytochemicals, and carbohydrates:

Knud Erik Bach Knudsen

Professor Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Gut and host health (GHH)

Fields of expertise

  • The effects of carbohydrates and phytochemicals on nutrition and health of monogastric creatures - including humans.
  • The use of animal models for research in the impact of carbohydrates and phytochemicals on human nutrition.

Helle Nygaard Lærke

Senior Researcher Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Monogastric Nutrition (MONU)

Fields of expertise

  • The effects of the chemical composition of fodder and foods for animal and human health.
  • Animal models with the purpose to research digestion of carbohydrates and protein.

Stig Purup

Senior Researcher Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Gut and host health (GHH)

Fields of expertise

  • The content of bioactive components in fodder and foods
  • Cell-based and animal models to research the physiological effects of bioactive components for humans and animals

Mette Olaf Nielsen

Professor Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Ruminant Nutrition (RUN)

Fields of expertise

  • Significance of (malnourished)nutrition in the fetus and early postnatal life
  • Metabolism, endocrine function, and functional development of tissues and organs
  • The importance of fetal life for health and the development of disease later in life
  • Use of a recognized animal model (based on sheep)

Fodder and nutrition

Researchers at the Department of Animal Science who are experts in fodder and nutrition. These researchers specialize in fodder strategies, new and alternative fodder, ingredients, vitamins, and added substances in fodder:

Martin Riis Weisbjerg

Professor Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Ruminant Nutrition (RUN)

Fields of expertise

(Cattle)

  • Ruminant nutrition
  • Fatty acid turnover in ruminants
  • Laboratory methods for fodder assessment
  • Fodder strategies for cows

Jan Værum Nørgaard

Professor Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Monogastric Nutrition (MONU)

Fields of expertise

(Pigs)

  • Nutrition
  • Intake, digestion and turnover
  • Utilization of and norms for minerals, proteins, and aminoacids
  • New types of fodder

Søren Krogh Jensen

Professor Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Monogastric Nutrition (MONU)

Fields of expertise

(Cattle and pigs)

  • Green protein/Homegrown protein
  • Vitamins in ecological/bio-organic fodder crops
  • The impact of vitamins on reproduction and health
  • Qualitative aspects of fodder fats

Sanna Steenfeldt

Senior Researcher Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Monogastric Nutrition (MONU)

Fields of expertise

(Poultry)

  • Nutrition and physiology
  • Nutritional value of fodder ingredients
  • Alternative types of fodder

Animal health

Researchers at the Department of Animal Science who are experts in health, nutrition and welfare in pigs, poultry, and cows. These researchers specialize in animal mortality, infectious disaeses, identification, and disease prevention and treatment:

Charlotte Lauridsen

Head of Department Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences

Fields of expertise

(Pigs and poultry)

  • Nutrition and physiology of monogastric animals
  • Utilisation of nutrients, vitamins, fatty acids, antioxidatives, minerals, and product quality
  • Proactive measures against infectious diseases

Ricarda Margarete Engberg

Associate Professor Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Gut and host health (GHH)

Fields of expertise

(Pigs and poultry)

  • Fodder concepts for chickens
  • Microbial turnover of fodder
  • Gastrointestinal health
  • Alternative fodder additives

Peter T. Thomsen

Professor Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Management and Modelling (MAMO)

Fields of expertise

(Cows)

  • Health and welfare of cows
  • Identification, treatment and prevention of diseases in animal production
  • Mortality rate of cows

Hanne Kongsted

Researcher Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Management and Modelling (MAMO)

Fields of expertise

(Pigs)

  • Assessment of animal welfare
  • Differences between types of production (conventional/free range/ecological/bio-organic)
  • Tailbiting

Climate and environment

Researchers at the Department of Animal Science who are experts in the climate and environment. These researchers specialize in sustainable and ecological/bio-organic animal production, and excretion of nitrogen, methane and phosphorus:

Peter Lund

Professor - Section manager Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Ruminant Nutrition (RUN)

Fields of expertise

(Cattle)

  • Sustainable milk production
  • The effects of fodder on excretion of methan gas
  • Reducing excretion of nitrogen and phosphorus
  • Utilisation of nutrients in fodder
  • Models for nutrient turnover and excretion

Jan Værum Nørgaard

Professor Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Monogastric Nutrition (MONU)

Fields of expertise

(Pigs)

  • Nutrition
  • Intake, digestion and turnover
  • Utilisation of and norms for minerals, proteins, and aminoacids
  • New types of fodder

Christian Friis Børsting

Senior Advisor Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Ruminant Nutrition (RUN)

Fields of expertise

(Pigs)

  • Strategies for nutrition and fodder
  • High productivity and low environmental impact
  • Effects of fodder on excretion of methan gas

Mette Olaf Nielsen

Professor Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Ruminant Nutrition (RUN)

Fields of expertise

  • Methane inhibitory feed additives for cattle
  • Identification of new bioactive agents (in, e.g. seaweed, among probiotic organisms, and pure substances (incl. "X"))
  • Validation of new bioactive agents partly in an in vitro system, cattle or other ruminants
  • Seaweed as an alternative feed for ruminants

Management and health economy

Researchers at the Department of Animal Science who are experts in economic aspects of environmental development of production. These researchers specialize in monitoring tools, cost-benefit analysis involving technologies and systems:

Søren Østergaard

Professor Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Management and Modelling (MAMO)

Fields of expertise

(Cattle)

  • Cost-benefit analysis of new technologies and systems of production
  • Development of effective strategies and procedures of health
  • Development of monitoring tools

Lene Juul Pedersen

Professor - Section manager Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Behaviour, stress and welfare (BSW)

Fields of expertise

(Pigs)

  • Production environment, behaviour, and welfare
  • Maternal behaviour and pig mortality
  • Systems for free range pigs

Steen Henrik Møller

Senior Researcher Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Management and Modelling (MAMO)

Fields of expertise

(Mink)

  • Strategic effects of practical management
  • Development of monitoring and decision assisting tools

Production and reproduction

Researchers at the Department of Animal Science who are experts in production and reproduction involving cattle, pigs, poultry, and mink. These researchers specialize in nutrition, fodder, health, and reproduction:

Martin Riis Weisbjerg

Professor Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Ruminant Nutrition (RUN)

Fields of expertise

(Cattle)

  • Ruminant nutrition
  • Fodder strategies for cows
  • Ruminant fatty acid turnover
  • Laboratory methods for fodder assessment

Jan Værum Nørgaard

Professor Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Monogastric Nutrition (MONU)

Fields of expertise

(Pigs)

  • Pig nutrition
  • Intake, digestion, and turnover
  • Utilisation of and norms for minerals, proteins, and aminoacids
  • New types of fodder

Sanna Steenfeldt

Senior Researcher Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Monogastric Nutrition (MONU)

Fields of expertise

(Poultry)

  • Nutrition and physiology
  • Nutritional value of fodder
  • Alternative types of fodder

Steen Henrik Møller

Senior Researcher Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Management and Modelling (MAMO)

Fields of expertise

(Mink)

  • Health, welfare, and production
  • Tools for production administration
  • Fodder strategies, health, and reproduction

Henrik Callesen

Professor, Deputy Head of Department Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences

Fields of expertise

(Reproduction)

  • Technologies for reproduction
  • Cattle fertility
  • Embryo-morphology, kinetics, and respiration

Ecological husbandry

Researchers at the Department of Animal Science who are experts in the ecological, bio-organic husbandry of cattle, pigs, and poultry. These researchers specialize in utilisation of fodder, the use of cows, principles and values of ecology and bio-organic production:

Mette Vaarst

Senior Researcher Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Management and Modelling (MAMO)

Fields of expertise

(Cattle)

  • Danish, European, and global ecology
  • Promotion of health and welfare in cow production
  • Ecological and bio-organic principles and values
  • Tropical husbandry

Jan Tind Sørensen

Professor - Section manager Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Management and Modelling (MAMO)

Fields of expertise

(Cattle and pigs)

  • Animal welfare assessment
  • Management of production and health
  • Disease prevention

Sanna Steenfeldt

Senior Researcher Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences - ANIVET Monogastric Nutrition (MONU)

(Poultry)

  • Nutrition and physiology
  • Nutritional value of fodder
  • Alternative types of fodder

Lists of experts in similar fields of expertise