Animals Webinar | Precision Animal Health: Microbiome Insights and Advanced Diagnostic Tools
Animals Webinar | Precision Animal Health: Microbiome Insights and Advanced Diagnostic Tools
Part of the Animals Webinar series
7 May 2026
7 May 2026
7 May 2026
precision animal health, microbiome, diagnostic tools
Welcome from the Chair
5th Animals Webinar
Precision Animal Health: Microbiome Insights and Advanced Diagnostic Tools
Hello everyone,
I am Janghan Choi, Assistant Professor of Animal Nutrition and Microbiology at Texas Tech University, USA. The Animal Science Cluster Editorial Team at MDPI is pleased to welcome you to the webinar “Precision Animal Health: Microbiome Insights and Advanced Diagnostic Tools.”
For this event, we have invited two distinguished researchers who have made significant advances in animal microbiome science and precision diagnostic technologies. Dr. Tansol Park, Associate Professor of Ruminant Nutrition and Microbiome at Chung-Ang University, South Korea, will discuss future research directions in the ruminant microbiome and related developments published in journals such as Scientific Reports, Fermentation, Microorganisms, and Animals. Dr. Xiang Li, Assistant Professor of Precision Animal Health at the University of Tennessee–Knoxville, United States, will present his work on precision diagnostics, focusing on leveraging qPCR for rapid and accurate microbial identification, with publications in journals including Poultry Science, PLOS ONE, and Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
This webinar aims to promote academic exchange, highlight impactful research in animal science, and foster meaningful discussion within the global research community. We look forward to your participation in the 2026 MDPI Animal Science Cluster Title Story Authors Webinar.
Event Chairs
Janghan Choi, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Microbial Ecology in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at Texas Tech University. His research focuses on gut microbiome ecology and applied nutrition for improving health, productivity, and food safety in monogastric animals, including swine and poultry. Dr. Choi integrates microbiome science, omics technologies, and production-oriented nutrition to investigate host–microbe interactions, control foodborne pathogens, and enhance animal resilience under environmental and nutritional stress. His work bridges pre- and post-harvest systems to improve both animal performance and meat quality. He has authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications and leads multiple competitively funded and industry-supported research projects.
Invited Speakers
Dr. Tansol Park currently works as an associate professor in the Department of Animal Science and Technology at Chung-Ang University. He received his PhD degree in animal science from Ohio State University in 2017. His research primarily concentrates on gut microbiology, with a particular emphasis on the rumen microbiome and its impact on nutrient utilization efficiency in ruminants. Furthermore, Dr. Park has a significant interest in rumen protozoology, exploring its role in symbiotic microbial associations, methane mitigation and the enhancement of nitrogen utilization efficiency.
My research focuses on applying molecular microbiology (especially PCR techniques), metagenomics, microbial source tracking, statistics, and bioinformatics to improve food safety and microbial management in animal production systems. I have led and contributed to projects involving foodborne pathogen surveillance (Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter), antimicrobial resistance monitoring, and microbiome-based risk assessment in poultry environments. Through the development and application of novel duplex qPCR assays, machine learning models, and high-throughput sequencing tools, I work to understand pathogen ecology, evaluate interventions, and enhance microbial diagnostics. I am particularly interested in: (1) How microbiomes, resistomes, and environmental factors shape pathogen dynamics in animal production. (2) Developing metagenomic or molecular proxies for complex traits like health, productivity, or disease resistance. (3) Using microbial and host-associated data to inform precision interventions and reduce zoonotic risk. (4) Exploring microbial indicators of antimicrobial use, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability. Ultimately, my goal is to leverage microbiome science, bioinformatics, and molecular tools to improve animal health, food safety, and environmental resilience in agricultural systems.
Registration
This is a FREE webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.
Certificates of attendance will be delivered to those who attend the live webinar.
Can’t attend? Register anyway and we’ll let you know when the recording is available to watch.
Sponsors and Partners
Organizers
Program
|
Speaker/Presentation |
Time in CEST |
|
Janghan Choi (Chair) Chair Introduction |
2:00 - 2:10 am |
|
Tansol Park (Speaker 1) Future research directions in ruminant microbiome |
2:10 - 2:30 am |
|
Xiang Li (Speaker 2) Precision Diagnostics: Leveraging qPCR for Rapid and Accurate Microbial Identification |
2:30 - 2:50 am |
|
Q&A |
2:50 – 3:10 am |
|
Closing of Webinar Name (Chair) |
3:10 – 3:20 am |
