Rojaalsadat Mousavi
Project Title: Assessment of emergent microbiological risks associated with transition to more sustainable pig and pork production systems
Biography: Roja is researching emerging microbiological risks linked to the transition toward more sustainable pig and pork production systems. As farming practices evolve to improve environmental performance, animal welfare and production efficiency, the microbial landscape within these systems can also change. Her work focuses on identifying these emerging risks and understanding how they influence animal health, food safety and the wider goal of developing resilient, sustainable food systems.
Roja graduated from the Health Sciences department at the University of Ottawa and brings a strong scientific background, excellent communication skills and the ability to independently design and organise research frameworks. During her MSc research, she used a wide range of laboratory techniques including isolation and identification of potential probiotics, fermentation pattern analysis, microbial and biochemical testing, safety assessments, amino acid detection by GC, DNA/protein extraction, PCR, qPCR, Sanger sequencing, WGS, gel electrophoresis, 16S rRNA metagenomics (Illumina MiSeq), LC-MS and data analysis using ANOVA, QIIME and GraphPad Prism.
Her experience extends beyond academia, having worked as a Production and Quality Assurance Technician at Siemens Healthineers, as a Hospital Microbiology Laboratory Technician, and as a Quality Control Manager and Microbiology Laboratory Supervisor in the dairy industry.
Outside the lab, she enjoys hiking, shopping, listening to music and dancing. She was born and raised in Iran.
Teagasc email: rojaalsadat.mousavi@teagasc.ie
Teagasc Research Programme: Food Programme
Research Location: Teagasc Ashtown
Name of your University: University College Dublin
Teagasc Supervisor: Dr. Geraldine Duffy, Dr. Kaye Burgess
University Supervisor: Prof. Seamus Fanning