Deborah Hynes

Tell us about yourself (Who are you? Where are you from? What is your educational background?)

My name is Deborah Hynes, I am currently a PhD student at Queens University Belfast studying ruminant nutrition in collaboration with AFBI Hillsborough Northern Ireland and Teagasc Grange, Republic of Ireland. I am originally from Louth, north of Dublin in the Republic of Ireland where I obtained my bachelors degree at Dublin City University in Genetics and Cell Biotechnology.

What is your area of expertise?

Nitrogen and Energy utilisation and Methane production from dairy cattle on fresh pasture.

Where does your focus lie within your current project(s)? (related to methane)

My current project focuses on the metagenomics of dairy cows on fresh forage specifically the rate of clover inclusion in perrenial ryegrass sward implying zero-grazing and indirect open circuit calorimetry.

What would be the added value for you of joining an international researchers network? (such as the METHAGENE network)

I believe international research networks will supply me with a vast and in-depth influx of knowledge which will greatly assist me in my studies and provide me with a stable foundation for the beginning of my career as a research scientist. I will also benefit from meeting new people who share similar interests and hope to make connections for possible future collaborations.

What and/or who inspired you to make a career in science?

From an early age my interest in and ability to understand the physical sciences swayed me into taking a career path which was heavily involved in biology. Later on in my studies a project I had undertaken in my degree course on climate change along with my farming background strengthened my interest in ruminant nutrition and its environmental implications.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

There are many aspects of my current role which I enjoy including the hope that you will make a difference in the combating climate change, the variation within my role as a research student and the constant stimulation from learning.

What is your most stand-out or surprising moment in science so far?

For me there are many surprising discoveries in science to date, the most recent relating to agriculture was the screening of 100,000 compounds by a New Zealand based research group with the aim of sourcing compounds with anti-methanogenic properties. The team were successful in identifying 5 such compounds which have reduced methane emissions from livestock by upto 90% in preliminary short-term trials.