Congratulations to Triumph Okuku on successfully defending his M.S. thesis titled “Temporal Dynamics of the Semen Microbiome in Broiler Breeders”
Triumph’s work focused on characterizing the nature and changes in the avian semen microbiome of broiler breeders. The avian semen microbiome is very poorly understood relative to mammalian systems, and furthermore, its potential relation or interactions with fertility traits are barely understood. In this thesis project, Triumph used longitudinal sampling of broiler breeder semen to understand its dynamics, the community composition and structure, and how it changes over time. To our knowledge, this was the first such study in any avian model.
We are so proud of Triumph’s accomplishment and wish him the very best in his next steps.
Triumph will continue his PhD program in our lab and receive an additional year of support from the Borlaug International Fellowship. Congrats, Triumph!
