Dr Christos Christodoulou
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Postdoctoral Research Associate in Ruminant Nutrition
- Postdoctoral Research Associate in Ruminant Nutrition, currently contributing to the LUNZ Grassland project. My work focuses on evaluating the effects of different forage silages, including grass, lucerne, sainfoin, and multispecies swards, on animal performance, nutrient use efficiency, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
- I design and conduct controlled animal trials to assess ruminant efficiency, nitrogen and energy balance, and enteric methane emissions.
- I design and conduct in vitro trials (RUSITEC and gas production system), assessing the effect of different feeds on rumen fermentation parameters and gas and methane production.
- I manage sample collection and coordinate laboratory analyses, including proximate composition, fermentation characteristics, and GHG quantification.
- I support data analysis, reporting, and dissemination to inform the development of sustainable feeding strategies aimed at improving livestock productivity while reducing environmental impact.
- Module co-convenor for: Animal Anatomy, Physiology, and Nutrition 2.
- Module contributor for: Animal Anatomy, Physiology, and Nutrition 1.
Areas of interest
My research focuses on the nutritional physiology of ruminants, evaluating and implementing sustainable nutritional practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ruminant farming systems and improve the efficiency and resilience of ruminant production. In brief, my areas of interest in my research projects are:
- Investigating the complex relationships between diet and digestive processes in ruminants
- Understanding the role of the rumen microbiome in ruminant metabolism
- Research on the development of environmentally friendly livestock production systems
- Developing sustainable dietary strategies, aiming to improve animal health and performance
- Evaluating nutritional strategies to improve nutritional quality (fatty acids, oxidative status) of animal-derived products (milk, meat)
Academic qualifications
- MSci Agriculture (direction of Animal Production), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
- MSc Animal Production, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
- PhD Ruminant Nutrition, Animal Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece
Professional bodies/affiliations
- Member of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP)
- Member of the British Society of Animal Science (BSAS)
- Member of the Hellenic Society of Animal Production
- Member of the Geotechnical Chamber of Greece