Irene Breider

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

I’m Irene Breider, first year PhD student at the University of Nottingham and SRUC. I’m born and raised in The Netherlands and performed both my BSc and MSc in Animal Sciences at Wageningen University.

What is your area of expertise?

During my masters I specialised in Animal Breeding and Genetics. During my thesis I worked on imputing genotypes of a Holstein-Friesian herd using different techniques and obtaining breeding values from these genotypes. I performed my internship at Gè nes Diffusion in France where I analysed data on exterior and production traits in Charolaise cattle.

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

During my PhD I’m working on the genetic and genomic background of methane emission and feed efficiency in dairy cattle. My biggest research interest is the use of genetic and genomic data to evolve agricultural ivestock to a more environmentally sustainable population.

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

It would be of enormous value for me to be part of an international network in methane research to keep up to date with developments in this new and rapidly growing research area and to learn from other people dealing with the same type of data and encountering similar problems.

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

My parents always stimulated curiosity and developing myself. One thing led to another and one day it led to starting a PhD.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I enjoy obtaining meaningful results out of large amounts of data that by themselves are only of limited value but together have a more meaningful use.

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

Taking the step of moving abroad to a country I’ve never been before to do a PhD did come as a surprise, but I’m very glad I did!