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Mateescu's Animal Genetics and Genomics Lab
University of Florida, Department of Animal Sciences
Dr. Raluca Mateescu
Dr. Raluca Mateescu is a Professor of Quantitative Genetics & Genomics in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Florida.
She joined the faculty at Florida in 2014 after serving on the Animal Science faculty at Oklahoma State University for 7 years.
She received a B.S. degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Bucharest University, Romania and received her M.S and Ph.D. in Animal Breeding and Genetics from Cornell University.
Graduate Students
Aakilah Hernandez
M.S. student in Animal Sciences
Aakilah is from Brooklyn, New York and also grew up in Melbourne, Florida. She graduated from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Animal Sciences and a minor in International Studies in Agriculture. She became interested in genetics research after taking Dr. Mateescu’s class and hearing more about the Thermotolerance Project. Aakilah hopes to pursue a PhD in Genetics, continuing her education and use these opportunities to further her career in research.
Andrea Nunez
M.S. student in Animal Sciences
Andrea is a second-year master student in Animal Sciences Department of the University of Florida, under the supervision of Dr. Raluca Mateescu.
She was born and raised in Honduras, where she received a B.S. degree in Agronomy Engineer from University of Zamorano in 2015. Andrea decided to come to the UF because she has always thought of genetics as an approach to solving issues involving cattle farming in her country. Andrea enjoys being outside, admiring nature and always wanted to know everything about how the nature works. Andrea wants to make an impact in her country by improving the cattle production systems better and making it more sustainable, including searching for the best breeds adapted to high temperatures (Honduras and Florida have similar climates).
Ashley Beard
M.S. student in Animal Sciences
Ashley has spent the majority of her life in Jacksonville, Florida. She became fascinated with animal genetics and genomics during her undergraduate degree when taking courses instructed by Dr. Mateescu. Ashley received her B.S. in Animal Sciences from the University of Florida with a concentration in Animal Biology. Prior to graduating, she joined a research lab as a technician, which only solidified her interest in academia. Ashley plans to receive her master’s degree and PhD in genetics and genomics, with hopes to become a faculty member at a university.
Gabriel Zayas
Ph.D. student in Animal Sciences, National Needs Fellow
I was raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico, after graduating high school I chose to start my college education at UF. I graduated Spring of 2019 with a B.S. in Animal Science. During my time at UF I found and developed my skills in programming and coding. Alongside my passion for both animal science and genetics I decided to pursue a PhD with Dr. Mateescu’s Animal Genetics and Genomics lab. With my knowledge in genetics and skills with coding I am working on uncovering the genetic/genomic factors influencing heterosis, currently work with UF’s Multibreed Angus-Brahman herd.
Fahad Rafiq
Ph.D. student in Animal Sciences
Fahad is from Punjab, Pakistan. He graduated with DVM from the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore (UVAS) and has an MS in Biology from the Lahore University of Management Sciences. He is a faculty member of UVAS and is currently on leave, working in Mateescu Lab to pursue his Ph.D. project in Thermotolerance-Production Complex in Beef Cattle. After his Ph.D., He hopes to improve the production of Pakistani cattle while selecting for thermotolerance and improve the food security for the people of Pakistan.
Eduardo Rodriguez
Ph.D. student in Animal Sciences
Eduardo grew up in Miami. He graduated from UF with a B.A. in Physics, B.S. in Biology, and Business minor. He became interested in biological research after working in a medical bioengineering lab in the University of Miami and paints in his free time. Eduardo has been a Veterinary Technician for two years and plans on going to vet school next year to pursue a DVM/PhD dual degree with focus on either aquatic or exotic animal genetics or bioengineering.
Visiting Researchers / Interns
Dr. Cristiane Titto (2022 - 2023)
Reserach Scientist, Animal Breeding and Genetics
Dr. Cristiane Titto is an Associate Professor of Biometeorology, Animal Behavior, and Animal Welfare in the Department of Animal Science at Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos at Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil, since 2011.
Cris is spending a one-year Visiting Reserach Program at UF where she will complete a research project “Molecular mapping of quantitative trait loci associated with heat tolerance in cattle".
She was born and raised in Brazil, where she receive a B.S. degree in Animal Science from University of Sao Paulo in 1997, where she also receive her M.S (2007) and Ph.D (2010) in Animal Science
Fernanda Rezende (2020-2021)
Research Scientist, Animal Breeding and Genetics
Fernanda is a Research Associate (or Research Scientist) in Animal Breeding and Genetics at UF Animal Science Department. She was born and raised in Brazil, where she earned her MS and PhD degrees in animal breeding and genetics from University of Sao Paulo. She is a former Associate Professor of Animal Breeding and Genetics at Federal University of Uberlandia, who had a 2-years sabbatical period in our department including an experience as a Research Scientist at AgriBio Centre in Australia. Fernanda is broadly interested in quantitative genetics and genomics for the genetic improvement of livestock populations through selection. Her research focuses on the application of statistical methods for the analysis of phenotypic and genomic data to predict genetic merit or yet-to-be observed phenotypes, and to dissect the genetic architecture of economically relevant traits in livestock.
Joel Leal (2020-2021)
Postdoctoral Associate in Animal Sciences
Joel is from Bogota, Colombia and received a B.S. in Animal Science and MS in genetics from the National University of Colombia. Since Joel was in high school he was always fascinated by genetics. He found it very interesting how the genetic material shapes life and drives evolution. Joel understood that similarly, genetics is very useful to animal production because it allows for selection and contributes to variability. Joel understands that consumer satisfaction is the base of any commercial activity and offering a high quality meat is the main goal of the beef industry. However, meat quality is a complex trait, because there is a phenotypic contribution from environment, genetics and their interaction all in which affect meat quality. Joel is particularly interested in determining what pathways, genomic regions, genes, and polymorphisms, contribute to this phenotypic variation.
Julio Cesar de Carvalho Baliero (2019-2020)
Visiting Professor, Ph.D., Brazil
Julio is Professor of Genetics and Animal Breeding in Department of Nutrition and Animal Production of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science at University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. He graduated in Animal Science from Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (1992), Master's degree in Animal Science from Federal University of Viçosa (1996) and PhD in Genetics and Animal Breeding from Federal University of Viçosa (2001). He is interested metabolic pathways, biological processes and transcription regulatory factors that contribute to phenotypic variation in meat quality traits in multi breed beef cattle, using RNA-Seq data analysis.
Serdal Dikmen (2015 -2020)
Visiting Professor, DVM, Ph.D., Turkey
Dr. Serdal Dikmen is a Professor in Department of Animal Science of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Bursa UludaÄŸ University in Turkey.
He graduated from Faculty of Veterinary Medicine on 1999 and got his DVM degree and finished his PhD in 2004 at Health Science Institute. He is now working as a Professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Bursa UludaÄŸ University and also he has a Courtesy Professor Position in the Department of Animal Sciences at University of Florida.
Mircea-Cătălin Rotar (2019)
Visiting Scholar, Ph.D., Romania
Cătălin is a PhD student in Animal Science at University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, Romania. In 2014, he received his Bachelor degree in Animal Science, he became an Engineer in Animal Science, and in 2016 his Master degree in Projecting and Developing Animals Farms, both from the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest. Since 2014 he has been working as a Researcher at National Research-Development Institute for Animal Biology and Nutrition, Romania. He is trying to find the best biometric model that will give the most accurate breeding values.
Andrea Nuñez (2019)
Visiting Scholar, Honduras
Andrea Nicole Nuñez is from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. She received a B.Sc. in Agriculture from Zamorano in 2015. She started a MS in Project Management at the Technological University of Honduras and worked at the Bovine Traceability Project in Honduras with the National Service of Agrifood Health and Safety (SENASA) for 2years. Andrea decided to come to the UF because she has always thought of genetics as an approach to solving issues involving cattle farming in her country. Andrea enjoys being outside, admiring nature and always wanted to know everything about how the nature works. Andrea wants to make an impact in her country by improving the cattle production systems better and making it more sustainable, including searching for the best breeds adapted to high temperatures (Honduras and Florida have similar climates).
Past Graduate Students
Eduardo Rodriguez, graduated 2021
MS student, Animal Sciences
Eduardo grew up in Miami. He graduated from UF with a B.A. in Physics, B.S. in Biology, and Business minor. He became interested in biological research after working in a medical bioengineering lab in the University of Miami and paints in his free time. Eduardo has been a Veterinary Technician for two years and plans on going to vet school next year to pursue a DVM/PhD dual degree with focus on either aquatic or exotic animal genetics or bioengineering.
Kaitlyn Sarlo Davila, graduated 2020
PhD student, Animal Sciences
Kaitlyn is a native of southwest Florida and grew up in the beef cattle industry. She received her B.S. in Animal Science at the University of Florida in 2014 and her M.S. in Animal Breeding at Texas A&M University in 2016. Kaitlyn is very excited to be back in Florida and to have the opportunity to be a part of Dr. Mateescu’s thermotolerance project where her passion for both genetics and the beef cattle industry get to come together.
Zaira Estrada, graduated 2019
PhD student, AMCB
Zaira Estrada was a PhD student in the Animal Molecular and Cellular Biology Program in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Florida. She received a Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology engineering and a Master's degree in Science with an option in Agricultural Sciences in the Autonomous University of Yucatan, Mexico. During her bachelor's and master's degree she started to work with molecular immunology in Pelibuey and Creole sheep. She found that genes from the immune mechanism of defense against gastrointestinal infections of sheep present high expression in lambs during primary and secondary infections of Haemonchus contortus. Also, during her Master she did a research stay in The Moredun Research Institute. Some of the studies performed by Zaira Estrada have been published in the Journal of Parasite Immunology.
Joel Leal-Gutierrez, graduated 2019
PhD student, Animal Sciences
Joel is from Bogota, Colombia and received a B.S. in Animal Science and MS in genetics from the National University of Colombia. Since Joel was in high school he was always fascinated by genetics. He found it very interesting how the genetic material shapes life and drives evolution. Joel understood that similarly, genetics is very useful to animal production because it allows for selection and contributes to variability. Joel understands that consumer satisfaction is the base of any commercial activity and offering a high quality meat is the main goal of the beef industry. However, meat quality is a complex trait, because there is a phenotypic contribution from environment, genetics and their interaction all in which affect meat quality. Joel is particularly interested in determining what pathways, genomic regions, genes, and polymorphisms, contribute to this phenotypic variation.
Sarah Flowers, graduated 2018
MS student, Animal Sciences
Sarah is a Florida native and grew up in the town of Groveland. Throughout her youth she was active in sports but was always around her family’s cattle operation. During high school she became more involved with the family herd and began showing cattle through the Florida show circuit. This involvement sparked her passion for the beef cattle industry and she decided she wanted to pursue a career within the field. Sarah went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science with a focus in beef cattle production from the University of Florida in December 2016. Throughout her time as an undergraduate Sarah became more involved in the Florida cattle industry and found that she had the desire to help Florida cattle producers by improving Bos Indicus influenced cattle. Sarah was very interested in the multiple ongoing projects within Dr. Mateescu’s research group that revolved around Bos Indicus cattle research. Sarah hopes to dig deeper into the research that is proving to add value to Florida beef producers by improving the meat quality generated from Bos Indicus cattle.
Heather Hamblen, graduated 2018
MS student, Animal Sciences
Heather grew up in Ocklawaha, FL. As a young child, she got involved in 4-H and FFA, which introduced her to many aspects of agriculture. The beef cattle industry really sparked her interest and eventually turned into a passion. Heather graduated from UF in 2016 with a bachelor in Ag Education and Communication - communicating new developments to producers and consumers is something she believes is vital to the ag industry. Heather is involved with several projects studying genetic factors affecting nutritional value, quality of beef, and thermotolerance. She is looking forward to spreading the knowledge gained from this research to educate producers on the impact of using genetic information. It will give producers the knowledge needed to produce healthier, higher quality beef, which will make them more competitive on today’s market where the consumers are more and more interested in a higher quality, healthier diet.
Mesfin Gobena, graduated 2017
MS student, Animal Sciences
Mesfin was born and raised in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. He studied Veterinary Medicine at Addis Ababa University, and later worked at the same university for a short period of time as a lecturer. Mesfin then joined Dr. Mateescus's lab at the Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida where he currently works on the genetic background of various traits in cattle, sheep and goat. He is passionate about all things science in general, and genetics, animal health and environmental adaptation in particular. His future goal is to get further involved in interdisciplinary research aimed at understanding how the interplay between genetics and environment affects disease resistance and environmental adaptation. Outside of school, he likes to play soccer and do other outdoorsy things. Mesfin is also a big fan of Arsenal, a soccer club that plays in the English Premier League (although he will not hold his breath until they win the EPL ... sad)
Undergraduate Students / Interns
Xuchen Liu
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Xuchen is from China and she began to persue her degree of animal science in 2018. She graduated from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Animal Science in 2022. During her study in UF, she's especially interested in genetics and breeding of beef cattle. She plans to continue her education for a M.S. of animal genetics in the future
Cailey Doyle
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Cailey is a fourth year animal science major specializing in animal biology. She is also pursuing a minor in fisheries and aquatic sciences as well as the animal genetics certificate. Cailey is from Milton, Georgia and spends her time working as a veterinary technician and is involved in multiple research laboratories through the University of Florida. She looks forward to attending veterinary school this Fall 2023, and intends to pursue small animal medicine. Cailey has been working in Dr. Mateescu’s thermotolerance research lab for the last few semesters, which has broadened her knowledge on how climate change and other environmental factors impact beef cattle on a molecular level.
Savannah Christensen
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
​I have always loved animals and knew I one day wanted to pursue a career working with them. In high school I participated in FFA and veterinary assisting courses, where I obtained my CVA. I began my time as an undergrad at Santa Fe College before transferring to UF in Spring 2021. I became interested in learning about genetics through the course Genetics of Domestic Animals taught by Dr. Mateescu. I was an undergrad TA for the course for one semester, before working in the lab for the next two. I graduated from UF with my B.S. in Animal Sciences in December 2022. I plan to take a gap year while applying to veterinary school to gain more hands-on experience.
Aakilah Hernandez
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Aakilah grew up in Melbourne, Florida. She is in her final year as an Animal Sciences major at the University of Florida. She became interested in genetics research after taking Dr. Mateescu’s class and hearing more about the research conducted during a new student orientation. She plans to use this opportunity to further her career in research or working with animals in some aspect.
Kristen Larson
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Kristen grew up in Groveland, Florida. She grew up participating in FFA, which helped her expand her knowledge and love of agriculture. She will graduate in Spring 2020 with her B.S. in Animal Sciences with minors in Agricultural Communications and Management in Agricultural Sales. She always had an interest in genetics and after taking Dr. Mateescu’s genetics course became interested in doing genetics research. Kristen hopes to pursue a Master’s degree in Genetics. In her spare time she enjoys riding horses and supporting the Gators at athletic events.
Ronald Throop
Undergraduate Student, Microbiology
Ronald is from West Palm Beach, Florida. He is currently in his 3rd year as a Microbiology major at UF. His future aspirations include attending Medical School and pursuing a career in Anesthesia. He has always had a passion for Animal Sciences. Upon completion of an Animal Science class at UF, he wanted to get more involved within the Animal Science department. He hopes to gain knowledge and experience from his time in the research lab.
David Rodriguez
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
David graduated from UF in 2018 with a B.S. in animal science and Portuguese minor. He finished a graduate certificate in Veterinary Forensics in 2019. He has been working and volunteering as a veterinary technician since 2015. David is currently working towards getting into veterinary school and hopes to go into Zoological medicine.
Alyssa Howell
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Alyssa grew up in Farmersville, Ohio. She will graduate with her B.S. in Animal Sciences in the fall of 2019 and is hoping to attend veterinary school next year. In the future, she would like to open up a mixed animal practice. She has always had passion for animals, but she also enjoys sports and is currently on the University of Florida soccer team.
Alyssa was awarded a Summer 2019 Undergraduate Research Internship sponsored by IFAS to explore thermotolerance in beef cattle.
David Dominquez
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
David is form Miami, Florida. He is in his 3rd year as an Animal Science major at the University of Florida. He hopes to continue his education to become a veterinarian for the Army. He’s always had a passion and love for animals and hopes to attain more experience with research and large animals. David plans on applying to vet school this upcoming cycle in 2019.
David received a University Scholars Program Award in 2019 to investigate Role of SLICK gene in thermotolerance of Brangus cattle.
Maria Noquera
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Maria moved to US from Santiago, Chile and grew up in Weston, Florida. She received her Associates of Arts degree in Biology from Broward College, and transferred to the University of Florida to pursue a degree in Animal Sciences. Working at a veterinary hospital she became interested in animal reproduction and genetics. She hopes to continue her education and go to Vet School where she would like to specialize in Theriogenology. Dr. Mateescu’s class as well as her lab has allowed Maria to learn more about animal genetics and given her much greater appreciation for research.”
Alexa Chiroussot
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Alexa was awarded a Summer 2018 Undergraduate Research Internship sponsored by IFAS to investigate “genetics of thermotolerance in beef cattle.” She is from Miami, FL.
Alexa is a senior at the University of Florida majoring in Animal Sciences on the pre-veterinary track. With an equestrian background and experience assisting at a beef cattle reproduction barn, she hopes to become an equine or large animal veterinarian.
Rebecca Stone
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Rebecca Stone is a freshman at the University of Florida majoring in Animal Sciences on a pre-veterinary track. She is from Lakeland, Florida and has recently become involved in volunteering at different equestrian facilities. Gaining more experience, she is leaning toward a career in large or exotic veterinary medicine.
Blair Ballin
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Blair was awarded a Summer 2017 Undergraduate Research Internship sponsored by the UF/IFAS - Office of the Dean for Research to investigate "Genetic markers for beef quality and tenderness".
Blair grew up in Apopka, FL and became involved in agriculture my junior year of high school when she joined the FFA. Growing up she spent most of her time around horses, so it wasn’t until she came to the University of Florida that she realized her passion for beef cattle. Interning with Dr. Mateescu has allowed Blair to see just how important genetics is within the beef industry. Blair is excited to see what the future holds for beef cattle and she hopes to work in the industry when she graduates.
Lauren Peacock
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Lauren Peacock graduated from the University of Florida in May 2018 with her B.S. in Animal Science, and is currently attending Veterinary Science at Cornell University. She was a teaching assistant for Dr. Mateescu’s Genetics of Domestic Animals course for two semesters, and began working in her lab after discovering an interest in genetics. Lauren grew up in Bradenton, Florida, and plans on attending veterinary school to study mixed animal medicine.
Samantha Eifert
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Sammie grew up in Oviedo, Florida. She graduated from University of Florida where she studied animal science with a minor in leadership. She hopes to continue her education by becoming an equine or large animal veterinarian. She has always loved horses but didn't truly get to work with other large livestock animals until college when she started working in Dr. Mateescu's lab. Samantha got accepted and is attending UF College of Veterinary Medicine starting Fall 2018.
Eduardo Rodriguez
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Eduardo grew up in Miami. He graduated from UF with a B.A. in Physics, B.S. in Biology, and Business minor. He became interested in biological research after working in a medical bioengineering lab in the University of Miami and paints in his free time. Eduardo has been a Veterinary Technician for two years and plans on going to vet school next year to pursue a DVM/PhD dual degree with focus on either aquatic or exotic animal genetics or bioengineering.
Victoria Roe
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Victoria received a University Scholars Program Award in 2016 to investigate Genetic markers in calpastatin gene associated with beef tenderness. "For as long as I can remember science has been an important part of my life. Every year in elementary and middle school my school pushed us to have better science projects going as far as in middle to have invention fair. It has only felt natural to continue that at the collegiate level in research. I have had a strong interest in genetics and was excited to join Dr. Mateescu’s research program." Victoria is currently attending Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Tamia Campbell
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Tamia was a 4th year student at the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences at Florida A&M University, in Tallahassee , Fl. Throughout high school Tamia was very active in sports and maintaining high academics, and continuously dedicated her summers to science. She participated in FAMU’s RATLR Program where her interests were stimulated in the biological and earth sciences, with emphasis in agricultural and food sciences, natural resource management, and related disciplines such as Animal Science. Tamia wishes to go above and beyond her wildest dreams by achieving a degree in veterinary pathobiology and being able to practice in exotic wildlife, with hopes of focusing on wildlife diseases and conservation genetics while providing services and awareness to third world countries.
Katie Odell
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Katie came to the University of Florida to pursue a career surrounding her passion: beef cattle. She grew up on a small farm and was involved in 4-H in high school. It was her 4-H leader, Frances Yarborough, who showed her how her passion for beef cattle could become a career.
"After taking Dr. Mateescu's class, I was intrigued. I wanted to learn more. There are so many possibilities in genetics, and that excites me."
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Alexandra DeHoyos
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Alexandra transferred to the University of Florida about two years ago to continuing her studies in pursuing veterinary medicine. Being that she was born in Tampa, Florida, she was raised with various house pets, including three dogs. It was not until Alexandra transferred to the University of Florida, that she began to gain an interest in cattle. With Dr. Mateescu’s lab, Alexandra has been given the opportunity to explore the genetics of cattle and give her a greater appreciation for research in general. Despite Alexandra’s interest in cattle, she plans to attend vet school to obtain a DVM focusing on small animal practice and shelter medicine.
Carly Fredericks
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Carly graduated from the University of Florida in 2016 with her bachelor's degree in Animal Sciences. She is currently a student in the Class of 2020 University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. During her time with our lab, she was mostly focused on internal parasite resistance in small ruminants. She presented her research at the Undergraduate Research Symposium in early 2016. Going forward, Carly hopes to incorporate her love for genetics and research into her career as a veterinarian.
Alexis Strickland-Tilton
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Alexis was born in Homosassa, FL and raised on a small cow/calf operation. Alexis graduated in April 2017 with a BS in ANS with focus in beef production. Alexis was involved in numerous clubs, including Block & Bridle and Gator Collegiate Cattlewomen. She served an internship at Deseret Cattle & Citrus, and worked in multiple projects including embryo transfers, artificial insemination and heifer development. Her internship gave her a better perspective of the needs of Florida cattlemen and the economic impact that genetic selection can offer producers. Alexis has worked in Dr. Mateescu’s lab and realizes the importance of genomics in the beef industry and the significance it has for producers making better decisions within their herd.
Sarah Randell
Undergraduate Student, Animal Sciences
Sarah graduated in 2015 from the University of Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Animal Science. She currently studies Veterinary Medicine at UF, where her interest is large animal medicine and reproduction. In her spare time, she enjoys riding horses and hiking with her Boxer dog, Maui.
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