Sharon Ann Huws

I am a Reader in Animal Science with a key role in driving a research agenda focused on understanding the role that the rumen microbes play in ruminal nutrient use efficiency and the fatty acid composition of meat and milk. Recent statistics from the government show that by 2050 food and indeed ruminant products will be in short supply due to the growing population and an increased demand from the Far East. Thus, the focus of the research is to understand the rumen as a system and ultimately ensure that the nutrients in the forage are effectively metabolised by the rumen microbes which ultimately provide the ruminant with the nutrients required for the production of meat and milk. Alongside the rumen-focussed research my group are involved in investigating the lung microbiome in disease status e.g Cancer, and prospecting metagenomic libraries (rumen libraries and those made from algal/Mischanthus associated bacteria) for enzymes important to the bio-refining industry, lipases, antimicrobials and furthering our understanding of quorum sensing genes and the organisms that possess them. Genomics, metagenomics and reverse transcriptomics alongside bioinformatics are central techniques used by my group in order to deliver a fundamental understanding of these ecosystems and ensure papers of the highest impact factor.