James graduated with a BSc in Molecular Biology with Biopharmaceutical Science from WIT in 2018 and went on to work in the food industry as a microbiologist.  After returning to WIT to carry out an internship with Prof Gillian Gardiner, James went on to pursue a PhD by research on the microbial quality of liquid feed for pigs and how strategies to optimise feed microbial quality might impact the pig gut microbiome.  The project is a collaboration between the Eco-Innovation Research Centre within WIT’s Department of Science, The Pig Development Department in Teagasc Moorepark, and the Animal Bioscience Research Centre in Teagasc Grange.  The project is funded by an Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship and is supervised by Prof Gillian Gardiner (WIT), and co-supervised by Dr Peadar Lawlor (Teagasc Moorepark) and Paul Cormican (Teagasc Grange).  James' research will involve determining the microbiota and metabolite content of liquid compared to dry pig feed as well as the impact of feed type on the pig gut microbiome.  He will then investigate the impact of strategies used to optimise the microbial quality of liquid feed for pigs (deliberate fermentation and sanitisation of feeding systems) on the bacterial and fungal communities in the feed, and in the gastrointestinal tract of pigs.  This project will provide valuable practical information to farmers on strategies to improve the quality of their feed, and ultimately improve the growth and feed efficiency of their herd.