Given her interest in gut physiology and nutrition, Rebecca Forder’s upcoming internship at Alltech’s headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, is not so much a step in the right direction, as a well-timed leap.
Having just finished her PhD on mucin bacterial interactions during early post-hatch development of broiler chickens, Rebecca will be heading to the US in January to begin a 1 year stint at Alltech’s Bioscience Center as a postdoctoral research intern.
Rebecca was one of the Poultry CRC’s original full PhD scholarship students, based at the University of Adelaide’s Roseworthy campus under the supervision of CRC Program Manager, SARDI’s Bob Hughes.
Five Poultry CRC internships for postgraduates were announced late last year, valued at up to $78,000 pa, and Rebecca applied for one of the overseas placements after talking with Alltech’s Andy Kocher at last year’s Ideas Exchange held at Roseworthy last December.
With a presence in 85 countries, Alltech Biotechnology is a global player in the provision of natural solutions for the animal feed industry.
“Once I arrive in Kentucky, I’ll be joining a project studying the effects of specific nutritional strategies on gut function and physiology of poultry,” said Rebecca.
“Alltech has been examining the effects of various prebiotics on gut function and nutrition and hopefully my knowledge in this area will help advance the project.”
“Ultimately, this might help the poultry industry find natural strategies to enhance productivity and welfare.”
The CRC’s CEO, Mingan Choct, was instrumental in organising Rebecca’s internship and said he was proud to see one of the CRC’s students making the most of her talent and opportunities.
“Rebecca has a great future ahead of her, and it’s collaborations like this between Alltech and the Poultry CRC that help ensure the poultry industries don’t lose this type of talent,” said Mingan.
“It’s crucial that we continue to nurture potential industry leaders of the future through targeted education programs and industry placements like these internships.”
We all wish Rebecca the best and hope she enjoys her first role with industry.
