Matthew Wells Position/Title: M.Sc. (Thesis) Student email: mwells02@uoguelph.ca Phone: Office: ANNU 220

Growing up on a farm outside of Guelph, I have long had a passion for working with dairy cows. My passion led me to pursue my B.Sc. in Animal Biology at the University of Guelph. While completing my bachelor’s I had the pleasure to work as a nutritionist’s assistant for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; this experience focused my interest towards nutrition. Wanting to further my knowledge and experience in dairy nutrition, I decided to continue to grad school.

I am currently working on my masters by thesis under Dr. John Cant. My research focuses on using a cow’s blood profile to identify and treat deficient amino acids, the “building blocks” of protein. Dairy cows are inefficient at converting dietary protein into milk protein; unutilized protein is broken down to nitrogen and excreted in manure, which poses an environmental hazard. Protein efficiency can be improved by supplementing the diet with the limiting amino acid(s). Unfortunately, current dietary models fail to reliably identify the limiting amino acid. My research aims to use the concentrations of amino acids in a cow’s blood to better predict which are limiting and in need of supplementation, thereby reducing wasted protein.

I hope to use the knowledge and experience gained during my degree to help farmers better feed their herd. Outside of the lab I enjoy cooking, cycling, Raptor’s basketball and keeping up with global affairs.