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We are happy to welcome these six young researchers! Below they will introduce themselves and their work. 

 

Anke van Mierlo 

Anke van Mierlo is a Master student Animal Sciences at Wageningen University & Research, the Netherlands. During her Bachelor thesis, she investigated the effects of post-hatch feed and water deprivation on body and organ weights in laying hen chickens. For her Master thesis, she is currently exploring the world of eggshell conductance at Royal Pas Reform. She hopes to find work in the poultry sector in the future. 

Clément GBONGBON 

Clément GBONGBON is an agricultural engineer, poultry science expert, and certified teacher in agricultural high schools in Benin. He is currently a PhD student at the Regional Center of Excellence for Avian Sciences (CERSA) at the University of Lomé, Togo. Under the supervision of Prof. Kokou TONA, Director or CERSA, and in collaboration with the Petersime team in Belgium, his research investigates the effects of eggshell temperature variations during incubation on embryonic development, hatching parameters, and the post-hatch performance of male and female broiler chickens under tropical conditions. 

His research project aims to improve day-old chick productivity through precision incubation and to determine optimal incubation temperatures for male and female chicks. It also explores the potential effects of incubation temperature on sexual differentiation or the sex ratio of chicks. Ultimately, this work seeks to contribute to the development of more efficient and climate-adapted incubation strategies for sustainable poultry production in tropical regions. 

Firouzeh Sadeghzadeh 

Firouzeh Sadeghzadeh is a PhD candidate at INRAE, France, and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (CryoStore) fellow. Her research focuses on the conservation and restoration of poultry genetic resources using primordial germ cells (PGCs), with particular emphasis on cryopreservation and donor–host compatibility for breed regeneration. Her work aims to improve biobanking strategies and support the long-term preservation of endangered poultry breeds through advanced reproductive biotechnologies. She is passionate about applying innovative technologies to sustainable animal genetic resource conservation. 

Guangju Wang 

Guangju Wang's research, conducted in joint collaboration between Wageningen University & Research and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, investigates heat stress and transgenerational developmental programming in broiler breeders. This work explores not only how chronic mild thermal stress alters the maternal physiological status and reproductive performance but also the impact on egg quality, embryo development, offspring performance, and their heat tolerance. The study further characterizes epigenetic and transcriptomic-metabolic mechanisms underlying maternal stress memory. This project aims to elucidate the developmental reprogramming mechanism in heat stress exposure and provide insights for improving poultry thermal resilience under global warming conditions. 

Henrique Lobato 

Henrique Lobato is a PhD candidate in Animal Science at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil, under the supervision of Prof. Itallo Conrado Sousa de Araújo. His research focuses on the effects of embryonic thermal manipulation during incubation on broiler development, with an emphasis on muscle growth, thermoregulation, and early-life performance. By integrating physiological, histomorphometric, and molecular approaches, his work investigates how incubation conditions influence embryonic development, hatchability, and post-hatch resilience, aiming to optimize poultry production while improving animal welfare. 

Zhanyue Wu 

Zhanyue Wu is a PhD candidate at Wageningen University & Research, supervised by Dr Ingrid de Jong, Dr Roos Molenaar, and Dr Henry van den Brand. Her research focuses on the short- and long-term effects of post-hatch feed and water deprivation (PHFWD) on the health and welfare of layer chickens. In addition to growth performance, she uses welfare indicators derived from a range of behavioral tests and physiological measurements to investigate how PHFWD affects the health and biological functioning, natural behavior, and affective states of white and brown layer chickens.