Emma Hernandez- Sanabria is driven by a lifelong love of learning. With an international career spanning five countries, working in academia and for industry, she brings a wide range of experience into her position as Product Manager Animal Health and Performance. She combines knowledge about the microbiome of production animals with strong teamwork and mentoring skills to assist animal nutrition clients. “As a mentor, I helped students achieve their best work, and that’s the attitude I want to use with BaseClear’s customers. My natural curiosity and ability to ask the right questions will guide them to the right solution”.
Emma works in close collaboration with product managers and other stakeholders to develop products related to the microbiome of livestock. Microbial technologies offer distinctive opportunities for sustainable agriculture and livestock production. She explains: “The European Union has a major role to play in addressing global food and nutrition security. My experience in both host-microbe interactions and with horticultural crops can support innovation to improve and safeguard animal health and welfare, thus promoting sustainability.”
Emma was trained as a veterinarian in her home country of Mexico. She was interested in studying more about ruminant nutrition and completed an MSc in Animal Production and Nutrition at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. There, she was able to explore rumen microbial communities in great detail, using an in vitro system that simulates the bovine rumen. She pursued a doctoral degree about the rumen microbiome and how it relates to feed efficiency and weight gain parameters at the University of Alberta. Since then, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET) of Ghent University and in the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology in Belgium, in many projects addressing in vivo and in vitro host-microbe-environment interactions, and in collaboration with industry partners. This broad experience will allow her to assist customers in a diverse range of projects involved with livestock production.
