Fran
BSc (Hons) Animal Science.
A PhD was never a path I thought of during my degree at Newcastle, or even after, as I didn't do a Masters degree.
But I came across the advert for this PhD in Edinburgh, which made me look into it more due to the appeal of the topic.
My PhD is in alternatives to anthelmintic (“wormers”) use for parasite control in organic sheep systems.
Newcastle influence
This combines my favourite topics at Newcastle:
- parasitology
- grazing systems/ forage utilisation
The Animal Science degree helped me find these favoured areas.
Due to the large choice in modules, I could sculpt my three years around what I found most interesting. This meant I thoroughly enjoyed the course and my time at Newcastle.
My current work involves collecting faecal samples from sheep with gastro-intestinal parasites. This is to culture the larvae and hope to test bioactive forage extracts (e.g. heather) on the parasites for anthelmintic properties.
