What is my role at EFFAB: I am the Director of EFFAB, which means that I lead the team that advocates for the interests of the European animal breeding sector towards the EU institutions and other stakeholders.

My educational background: I am an agricultural engineer, following my passion since I was a boy. My professional career has taken me to various locations and positions, always related to agriculture. These changes have allowed me to discover how diverse and interconnected agriculture is, and how knowledge from different areas of work can benefit agriculture (and hopefully, also the other way around).

My favourite activity when I am not working: Outside my EFFAB and home responsibilities, I try to spend quality time with my family (everyone has a busy agenda, children included) and occasionally with friends. I enjoy walking and listening to the radio (sometimes at the same time) and playing board games.

My favourite European science area: Life sciences in general. I believe that science and industry make a powerful combination, and that both are essential to deliver solutions to the demands and needs of our society.

What is my role at EFFAB: I lead EFFAB’s participation in European Projects and their knowledge exchange and transfer to the relevant sector actors, mainly European breeding companies. I coordinate the work carried out in Communication, Dissemination and Training tasks in EFFAB projects within EFFAB and consortiums.

My educational background: I am a Veterinarian with a PhD on Agricultural Economics and Policies.

My favourite activity when I am not working: My passion is photography and I like styling and shooting fashion and food photos. I also love reading books mostly crime and sci-fi.

What have I learned about animal breeding that I didn’t know before I started here: Animal breeding could support addressing many of the societal concerns and environmental impact of animal production. Responsible and balanced breeding is a very important tool for improving animal welfare and health. However, it should be better communicated to the different levels of the society.

My favourite European science area: New genomic technologies and precision breeding tools.

What is your role at EFFAB: I am currently working on different policy initiatives at the EU level, such as animal welfare, animal health and the overall sustainability of food systems by representing the animal breeding sector and interests.

My educational background: I studied Political Science at the Universidade do Minho in Braga, Portugal.

My favourite activity when I am not working: In my free time, I enjoy the simple things in life, like socializing with friends and family, reading and consuming all sorts of media. But, I would have to admit that my favorite activity when I'm not working is probably going on vacation!

What I have learned about animal breeding that I didn’t know before I started at EFFAB: My knowledge of animal breeding was narrow and limited to the general ideal, before starting at EFFAB, since then I've managed to grasp some pretty interesting topics, such as feed efficiency or disease resistance.

My favourite European science area: I would have to say Economics is probably the one I find most interesting.

 

What is my role at EFFAB? As a Breeding and Genetics Advisor, I consult on the CODE EFABAR for the implementation of good practices among the different members of the policy team across the EU and hopefully beyond soon. I also support the FABRE TP and EFFAB members for the coordination of the gene-editing network.

My educational background: I was always interested in Science, Technology, and Human interaction and was not sure where to go when I was younger. After an internship in a breeding company, I realised that was the best sector, and therefore went to study Agricultural Science and Technology in Mauritius and then Animal Breeding and Genetics at the Universität für Bodenkultur, Wien. This sector seems to be so narrow and focused, but it is in my opinion the best inter-disciplinary sector–we get to learn people's culture, perspectives and social interaction to animal breeding, genomics and welfare. So much to learn!

My favourite activity when I am not working: I love to cook and bake for my friends and family. I enjoy making Indian and Mauritian dishes and cheesecake. I love a good trip to the beach, mountains and camping and weekly outdoor games at the park or board game/video games on rainy days or stay-in nights with my partner.

What have I learned about animal breeding that I didn’t know before I started here: The amount of work being done in general regarding animal welfare and how far it went.

My favourite European science area: I have to say that aside of agricultural and animal science, I have a pet peeve for animal behaviour based on environmental/social interaction-how do they adapt or react to changes or situations with their peers or other animals. I do also love programming; I try to learn R at home for statistics and genomic analysis.

What is my role at EFFAB: My role is to raise awareness of our research, innovation, and policy work. I help make EFFAB’s voice and its projects easy to understand, by translating complex topics into clear and accessible messages.

My educational background: I hold a master’s degree in modern languages for communication and international cooperation. I enjoy transforming concepts into messages that speak to different cultural and professional contexts. And EFFAB has a lot of messages and achievements to share!

My favourite activity when I am not working:  I’m walking, for hours, in the city, in the nature, or preferably on the beach. Walking is my medicine and inspiration to everything. Except when it rains, then I don’t mind vegetating on my couch.

My favourite European science area: Culture. I find it fascinating how cultural factors shape not just what we study, but how we think, how we perceive data, and which questions are considered worthy of investigation.

What is my role at EFFAB? I communicate Effab’s mission, values, and activities across all channels using design and storytelling. With a creative approach, I make complex scientific topics clear and engaging for everyone.

My educational background: I hold a Bachelor's degree in Communications and a Master's degree in Film and Television, but I like to think of myself as a storyteller at heart. I enjoy crafting stories, and I’m happy to help share Effab’s story and the projects we’re involved in, regardless of the format or subject.

My favorite activity when I am not working: I am a fan of outdoor activities, especially water sports. A perfect day for me includes rollerskating in the sun or sipping mate by the beach.

My favorite European science area: Although it’s not a typical European focus, I come from Chile, home to the clearest skies in the world, so astronomy is naturally my favorite science. I also have a soft spot for agriculture, particularly fruit tree cultivation.

What is my role at EFFAB:
As a Junior Project Manager, I contribute to EFFAB’s mission, values, activities and collaborations working across communications, projects and policy.

My education background:
I have a bachelor’s degree in communications from Syracuse University and a master's degree in Agricultural Extension and Innovation from University College Dublin.

My favourite activity when I am not working:
When I am not working, I love socialising with friends, exploring new food spots and cafes in Brussels, and taking weekend or day trips to towns and villages across Belgium and neighbouring countries. 

My favourite European science area:
It changes! Aside from Agriculture, I’m currently interested in space science, specifically astrophysics.