Faculty and Graduate Student Awards

Congratulations to Dr. Oluyinka Olukosi for receiving the American Feed Industry Association Poultry Nutrition Research Award.

Dr. Olukosi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Georgia. His research focuses on nutritive evaluation of feedstuffs, interaction of nutrition and gut health, and nutritional interventions to mitigate the environmental impacts of poultry production. He has secured over $14.9 million in research funding and published 63 peer-reviewed articles.

Congratulations to Dr. Lilong Chai for receiving the American Egg Board Research Award.

Dr. Chai is an Associate Professor and Engineering Specialist in the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Georgia. His primary research focuses on animal environmental engineering, cage-free hen housing, and precision poultry farming. He has authored over 90 peer-reviewed journal articles and has served as PI/Co-PI on 40 grants/contracts totaling approximately $5.5 million.

Congratulations to Dr. Rami A. Dalloul for receiving the National Chicken Council Broiler Research Award.

Dr. Dalloul is the R. Harold Harrison Distinguished Professor of Poultry Science and Interim Assistant Dean for Research at the University of Georgia. Originally from Lebanon, he earned degrees in Animal Sciences and Agricultural Engineering from the American University of Beirut, followed by a Master’s in Poultry Microbiology. He completed his Ph.D. in poultry immunology and gut health at the University of Maryland and a postdoc on enteric immunity before joining the faculty at Virginia Tech and later UGA in 2020. His research focuses on host-pathogen interactions, especially coccidiosis and clostridial diseases in poultry, with an emphasis on mucosal immunity, nutritional immunology, and microbiome health.

Congratulations to our Graduate Students who received PSA Awards!

These students received Certificates of Excellence for their presentations and posters. Our students were also ranked in the top 10 percent of recipients.

• Allison J.T. Kawaoku (Dr. Sean Chen)
• Grant Bennett (Dr. Laura Ellestad)
• Hamid Naeini (Dr. Woo Kyun Kim)
• June Hyeok Yoon (Dr. Yinka Olukosi)
• Bidur Paneru (Dr. Lilong Chai) - Not pictured.

Dr. Aaron Bodie's graduate student, Marco Reina, was awarded the Graduate Student Travel Award. (Not pictured.)

Oral Presentation Winners

Congratulations to our Departmental Graduate Research Forum Oral Presentation Winners! Seshidhar Gudidoddi, Coleman Hatmaker, and Alejandra Garcia received the top three highest scores for their oral presentations of their graduate research projects.