Speakers

Prof Nicolas Lopez-Villalobos

Professor of Dairy Cattle Breeding and Genetics

Professor Nicolas Lopez-Villalobos is a distinguished academic in animal science who earned his PhD from Massey University in 1998. With 35 years of teaching and research experience in animal breeding, he has developed internationally recognized expertise in the genetic evaluation of dairy cattle, dairy sheep, dairy goats, and police dogs. His research includes genome-wide association studies, genomic selection in dairy cattle, the development of selection indices for once-a-day milking, and the modelling of breeding schemes, farm systems, milk payment systems, and dairy product processing.

Professor Lopez-Villalobos has successfully supervised 42 PhD and 43 Master's students and currently supervises 10 PhD and 3 Master's candidates. In recognition of his outstanding mentorship, he received the Massey University Research Medal for Excellence in Research Supervision in 2016.

Since 1999, he has published 374 peer-reviewed papers, attracting 5,939 citations and achieving an h-index of 38 (Scopus). His contributions have been recognized internationally, including Level III membership, the highest distinction, in Mexico's National Researchers System (CONACyT), and the McMeekan Memorial Award from the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. He has also been a member of the American Dairy Science Association since 2004 and the New Zealand Society of Animal Production since 1994.