Aquaculture Faculty Candidate Seminar-Dr. David Huyben

Please join us for the fourth and final Faculty Candidate Seminar for the position in the area of Aquaculture.

Dr. David Huyben is a Post-Doctoral Research Assistant in the Nutrition Group within the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Sterling, UK. He completed his Bacherlor's (2010) and Master's (2012) degrees at the University of Guelph in Canada where he focused on fish health and disinfection technologies used in recirculation aquaculture systems. Dr Huyben completed his PhD in 2017 at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden where he focused on evaluating yeast as protein and probiotic sources in diets for rainbow trout and their impact on blood physiology and gut microbiota.

Dr.  Huyben will present a seminar titled "Environmental and host effects on the gut microbiome and lipid metabolism in salmonid fishes".

Abstract:

Increased consumption of farmed fish is one solution to address the global food crisis, although climate change and farm intensification increasingly threaten the health and production of both farmed and wild fish. Different profiles of lipids and fatty acids in salmonid fishes can influence their migration success, immune status and metabolic rate, suggesting the importance of understanding factors that influence their nutritional requirements. Gut microbes play a role in providing short-chain fatty acids and other essential nutrients for animals, although research is lacking on the microbial contribution to fish and influences from the diet and host genetics. My future research will address this knowledge gap. I will determine how the gut microbiome influences lipid metabolism and the resulting health effects on salmonid fishes. To do this, I will: 1) perform a meta-analysis to rank different environmental and host factors, 2) assess changes to the fish microbiome under different feeding and rearing conditions, 3) quantify the production of fatty acids from fish gut microbes, 4) relate gut microbes to the lipid profile and phenotype of fish, and 5) co-culture wild and farmed salmonids to determine impacts of dietary lipids and genetics on the gut microbiome. My other long-term research aims will build on my research in Sweden and Scotland and will include the use of organic waste streams to produce sustainable sources of protein and lipids, such as microbes and insects, for aqua-feeds that improve health and mitigate against challenging environmental conditions. My research will be well supported by Alma Aquaculture Research Station, Ontario MNR fish hatcheries, Nutritional and Feed labs at ABSc, Microbiological labs at PAHL, Molecular labs at MCB, Genomics Facility at the University of Guelph and industry partners. My expertise cultivated by working with pathogen control technologies during my MSc at Guelph (2012), gut microbiome research during my PhD at the Swedish University of Ag. Sci. (2017) and my postdoctoral research on health effects of feeding omega-3 fatty acids at the University of Stirling (present) creates a foundation for my aquaculture research program at the University of Guelph.

There will also be a meet and greet for faculty, staff students and guests from 3:45pm-4:45pm in ANNU 141.