Lauren Anderson

I am currently a Master’s student in the Animal Science department at North Carolina State University under the advisement of Dr. Jon Holt. Our lab focuses on swine health and well-being, and my current projects revolve around measuring behavioral and molecular markers for systemic inflammation during heat stress. I will be continuing with my Ph.D at NCSU with Dr. Holt. However, I plan to pivot to studying the environmental microbiome and its impact on swine health. I originally wanted to work with Dr. Holt because he came from industry, which I felt was an important lens through which I wanted to receive my education. I am a “non-traditional” student, in that I worked for a few years out of undergrad before coming back to graduate school, and I fully intend to return to industry when I finish my education. Dr. Holt was the exact right fit to groom me for that. I get the best of both worlds in terms of nitty gritty science/physiology with my feet on the ground of real-world practicality. We design all of my projects with a focus on potential on-farm impact. I did several, varied research projects during my undergraduate career at the University of Missouri in both plant and animal molecular biology, though my bachelor’s degree is in Animal Science. I held two different career track jobs after undergrad, but the one where I developed the most as a person and a professional was at a small agricultural plant biotech startup called Benson Hill Biosystems. At BHB, I got an immersive agriculture experience. The company was so small, that my role didn’t stop at bench scientist; I also got a heavy dose of the business side of things, and I absolutely loved the variety and intense pace of startup Ag. However, I started to miss my animal roots. I decided that I needed to circle back, and I started applying for grad schools. I hope to return to industry as a scientist in a research and development role. I will be doing an internship this summer with AgBiome in a swine health/microbiology position. AgBiome has partnered with Elanco in the pursuit of microbes in swine that can improve health and production, and I am excited to be a part of the development of AgBiome’s new animal health initiative. I thoroughly enjoy systematic problem solving, and, in the future, I would love an on-farm consultation role to help identify and alleviate performance problems in the swine industry. I am excited to continue to immerse myself in the University learning environment and focus on developing myself to be an asset to the animal agriculture industry. I hope to be an ambassador for agriculture in the fight to keep up with global population demands. I am hoping to absorb as much information as I possibly can in my short graduate career, and I relish every chance I get to do so.