Sabine van Engelen

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

My name is Sabine van Engelen. I’m a Dutch PhD-candidate working at the Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre of Wageningen University. I have a bachelor and master degree in animal sciences both from Wageningen University. The specialization of my master was in animal breeding and genetics.

What is your area of expertise?

My area of expertise is in quantitative genetics.

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

My PhD-project is on the genetic background of methane production by dairy cows in the Netherlands. My project consists of collecting data on methane production by Dutch dairy cows on commercial farms and estimating genetic parameters of the collected data.

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

The interest in the reduction of methane production has increased and many people are working on this topic from different disciplines. By joining an international researchers network like METHAGENE I am able to stay up to date with all the progress in the field. In addition, exchanging ideas about how to continue can strengthen your own research as well as the research of others.

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

After my master degree I wanted to develop myself further as a professional and also personally. Continuing with a PhD has given me the opportunity to improve myself and gain important skills.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I really enjoy working with the large dataset collected for my project. I enjoy both the collection and the analyses.

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

My first article got recently accepted!