Sonia Martí
Dr. Sonia Marti is a Research Scientist in the Department of Ruminant Production at Institut de Recerca i Tenologia Agroalimentaries de Catalunya, Spain. After completing the BAgrE, MSc and PhD in animal production (2012), Sonia completed an NSERC Postdoctoral fellowship at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge (2013-2016) and the University of Calgary, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (2016-2018) conducting studies on painful procedures, the evaluation of chronic stress, as well as beef cattle lameness and transportation. Dr. Marti’s current research focuses on evaluating management practices of unweaned dairy calves reared for meat with a focus on health, productivity, welfare, and pre-slaughter factors to improve welfare and meat quality
Francesca Marcato
Francesca Marcato is a researcher in Animal Health & Welfare at Wageningen Livestock Research, in the Netherlands. In 2021 she obtained her PhD degree at Wageningen University focusing on transport of veal calves. Since then she has continued to work mainly in field of calf health and welfare. She has extensive knowledge on welfare assessment and the use of blood biomarkers. The main focus of her research is the improvement of calf health conditions throughout the rearing chain (at the dairy farms, during transport, at the fattening farms until slaughter). Besides the research on calves, she is involved in other projects related to the improvement of health and welfare of other livestock species, especially dairy cows and goats.
Lucía Pisoni
Lucía Pisoni is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Guelph, Canada, specializing in calf nutrition, gut physiology, and colostrum management and characterization. She earned her veterinary degree from the National University of La Plata, Argentina, and completed an MSc at The Ohio State University, USA. She later obtained her PhD at the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) in Spain, where she investigated transport stress in non-replacement calves and the development of nutritional strategies to enhance their recovery and welfare upon arrival at feedlots. Her current research focuses on extended colostrum feeding as a strategy to reduce disease incidence during the pre-weaning period. Lucía also serves as a veterinary technical consultant for Saskatoon Colostrum Company Ltd., providing global expertise in colostrum management.
Dave Renaud
Dave Renaud is an Associate Professor in the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph, where he also serves as Graduate Program Coordinator and Service Chief of the Ruminant Field Service. He received his DVM from the Ontario Veterinary College and a PhD in epidemiology from the University of Guelph. His research focuses on calf health, welfare, and antimicrobial stewardship, with an emphasis on colostrum management, disease prevention and transportation in the dairy industry. Dave has authored over 180 peer-reviewed publications, leads an internationally recognized research program, and remains an active practicing veterinarian working with dairy producers and calf raisers in Ontario.
Luca van Dijk
Luca van Dijk is a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University specialising in the welfare of livestock during long-distance transport. She earned her PhD at Teagasc and Munster Technological University Kerry in Ireland, where she studied the welfare and physiological responses of unweaned calves transported from Ireland to the Netherlands. Her current work focuses on improving feeding strategies for calves on board commercial transport trucks and on developing evidence-based indicators of fitness for transport in several livestock species. Her broader research aims to support science-based policy and practical improvements in the handling and movement of farm animals.
