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Give      University of Florida

Animal Sciences Department

Animal Sciences Department

Dr. Antonio Faciola

Associate Professor, Ruminant Nutrition
Graduate Program Coordinator
Undergraduate Honors Coordinator

 

The overall research goal of our laboratory is to further our understanding of ruminant nutrition to improve the efficiency of nutrient utilization in order to enhance animal production and minimize the environmental impact of livestock operations

Programs

  • Research

    Research Summary

    The overall research goal of our laboratory is to further our understanding of ruminant nutrition to improve the efficiency of nutrient utilization in order to enhance animal production and minimize environmental impact of livestock operations. Our laboratory has broad interests, which include, but are not limited to:

    • Understanding the mechanisms that regulate feed intake;
    • Improving nutrient digestion, efficiency of nutrient utilization and conversion into milk and meat;
    • Improving microbial growth in the rumen and their contribution to the animal’s supply of nutrients (amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and volatile fatty acids);
    • Improving the utilization of commonly used feedstuffs, evaluating alternative ingredients and fine-tuning diet formulation, especially within the context of Florida’s agricultural realities;
    • Improving accuracy, precision, and reducing time and cost of laboratorial methodologies as well as evaluating new experimental techniques both in the lab as well as on the field.
  • Teaching

    Undergraduate Courses

    • ANS 3440 - Principles of Animal Nutrition - Every Spring
    • ANS 3440 - Principles of Animal Nutrition - Summer on odd years
    • ANS 4905 - Supervised Teaching
    • ANS 4915 - CALS Honors Program in Animal Sciences
    • ANS 4932 - Animal Sciences in Italy (Study Abroad Program) - Every Summer A
    • Undergraduate Research

    Graduate Courses

    • Ruminant Nutrition Journal Club - Every Fall
    • ANS 5446 - Animal Nutrition - Every Spring
    • ANS 6447 - Ruminant Nutrition - Fall every other year
    • ANS 6932 - Animal Sciences in Italy (Study Abroad Program) - Every Summer A
    • ANS 6940 - Supervised Teaching
    • Graduate Research (M.S. and Ph.D.)

Faciola

Contact

2250 Shealy Dr.
Gainesville, FL 32611
Bldg. 459, Room 106
Phone: (352) 273-1268
afaciola@ufl.edu
Faciola Lab

  • Education

    Education:

    • Post-doctorate - ARS - USDA U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center
    • Post-doctorate - Cornell University
    • Ph.D. - University of Wisconsin-Madison
    • BS & MS - Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil

    Academic Positions:

    • July 2022 - Present: Graduate Program Director, Animal Sciences
    • July 2021 - Present: Associate Professor of Livestock Nutrition, University of Florida
    • July 2017 – June 2021: Assistant Professor of Livestock Nutrition, University of Florida
    • June 2013 – June 2017: Assistant Professor of Animal Nutrition, University of Nevada
  • Publications
  • Professional Service and Awards

    Honors

    • 2023 Ph.D. Dissertation Advisor Award, University of Florida
    • 2022 North America Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Educator Award
    • 2020-2021 University-wide Undergraduate Faculty Advising/Mentor of the Year Award, University of Florida
    • 2020-2021 Undergraduate Faculty Advising/Mentor of the Year Award, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Florida
    • 2020 Cargill Animal Nutrition Young Scientist, presented by the American Dairy Science Association
    • 2019 Mentor of the Year, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida
    • 2018 Faculty Honoree by an Anderson Scholar at the University of Florida, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
    • 2018 Lallemand Forward Award for Scientific Excellence in Dairy Nutrition, presented by the American Dairy Science Association
    • 2017 Early Career Innovator Award (University of Nevada)
    • 2016 Researcher of the Year Award (College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources, University of Nevada)
    • 2014 Outstanding Reviewer by Elsevier Publishing Company
    • Journal of Dairy Science Editor’s Choice Article, August 2014. Article: J. Dairy Sci. 97:5088-5100. Made available for free access
    • Graduate Student Mentor Award. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Graduate School (2008)

    Professional Memberships

    • American Dairy Science Association (ADSA)
    • American Society of Animal Science (ASAS)
    • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
    • American Society of Microbiology (ASM)
    • North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA)

    Editorships

    • Scientific Reports (Associate Editor)
    • Journal of Dairy Science (Editorial Board)
    • Journal of Dairy Science Communications (Editorial Board)
    • Frontiers in Microbiology, section Systems Microbiology (Associate Editor)
    • Scientia Agricola (Associate Editor)
    • Peer Community In. (PCI) Animal Science (Recommender)