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Simão Santos

Simão Santos is a biotechnology researcher at KU Leuven, specializing in the development of DNA-based platform biosensors for early in ovo sexing of chicken embryos. Under the expert supervision of Prof. Jeroen Lammertyn and Dr. Dragana Spasic, Simão focuses on creating sensitive and rapid molecular diagnostic tools that enable accurate sex determination during early embryonic stages. This research integrates advanced DNA amplification techniques, such as recombinase polymerase amplification, and autonomous microfluidic platforms to improve poultry welfare by reducing culling of day-old male chicks.

 

Louisa Kosin

Louisa Kosins’ doctoral research at The Roslin Institute, under Professor Simone Meddle, explores the effects of light during artificial egg incubation. They investigate how light exposure influences development, the hatching process, post-hatch behaviour and welfare. This project also studies how lightened incubation affects non-visual extra-retinal photoreceptors in the brain during embryo development and their involvement in the hatching process. By understanding these signalling pathways, the project aims to establish precise incubation conditions that improve hatchability and shorten the hatching window, enhancing overall chick welfare.

 

Melanie Emambu Fonkeng

Melanie Emambu Fonkeng is a PhD student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, conducting her research at the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Volcani Institute in Israel under the supervision of Dr. Shelly Druyan. Her research focuses on the role of thyroid hormones in broiler embryos and their influence on productivity and thermotolerance under hot environmental conditions. With climate change increasing heat stress challenges in poultry production, her work explores how thyroid hormones regulate metabolism, growth, and thermoregulation, and how they may be harnessed to promote long-term adaptation to suboptimal environments.

 

Mivodjo Michée Stéphane Adande

Mivodjo Michée Stéphane Adande is an agricultural engineer and a doctoral student at the Regional Center of Excellence for Avian Sciences (CERSA) at the University of Lomé, Togo. His research project focuses on the impact of a diet based on powdered fenugreek seed (Trigonella foenum graecum) on the zootechnical and physiological parameters of breeding chickens and their offspring, under the supervision of Prof. Pitala Wéré, Deputy Director of CERSA. This work initially involves evaluating the effect of fenugreek seed on weight gain, feed conversion ratio, egg production, egg quality, and sperm quality. Secondly, the project aims to evaluate the antioxidant effect of the seed on breeding chickens, its effect on the development of reproductive organs, and on incubation performance. Moreover, the effect of the seed on zootechnical parameters of the offspring, the digestibility and resistance to post-hatching heat stress is evaluated.