Renee Bongers Position/Title: M.Sc. by thesis email: rbongers@uoguelph.ca Phone: Office: LinkedIn

I completed my B.Sc. honours program in Animal Biology at the University of Guelph in 2018. During this time, I spent a semester at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences where I started to develop my interest in animal genetics.

In 2020 I earned my postgraduate certificate in Agri-Business Management from Fanshawe College. Prior to that I spent a year in the New Zealand Dairy Careers program working on large-scale dairy cattle farms throughout New Zealand.

Currently, I am a MSc student in the Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock under the supervision of Dr. Christine Baes. As part of the Resilient Dairy Genome Project, I am looking at leukosis in dairy cattle. Leukosis, caused by the bovine leukemia virus, is prevalent throughout North America and can decrease the welfare and productive life of an infected cow. The overall objective of my project is to complete the groundwork research for the implementation of genetic evaluation for leukosis resistance as a tool for producers to manage leukosis in their herds. 

Growing up on a dairy farm in Eastern Ontario, I have always had a passion for animals, and their health and welfare. In my free time I enjoy reading, hiking, and travelling.