Kyle Moak, MSc
Research Technician, WCVM
Within the WCVM swine welfare research group, Kyle contributes to data collection and analysis on several projects. Kyle graduated from the University of Guelph (UoG) with an MSc in Animal Behaviour and Welfare under the mentorship of Drs. Renée Bergeron (UoG) and Luigi Faucitano (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Sherbrooke, QC). His project evaluated swine welfare and meat quality during the transportation process using two novel trailer designs against the standard North American Potbelly trailer under Canadian Summer and Winter conditions. Under Dr. Bergeron, Kyle was also involved in a project examining low-stress genes and piglet behaviour. Under Dr. Faucitano, he was involved in two studies: 1) investigating the effect of slaughter weight and trailer space allowance during summer transport conditions on the behaviour, physiological response, carcass quality, and meat quality of pigs and 2) investigating the effect of group size and pig weight on loading behaviour and swine welfare indicators.
Hayder Al-Shanoon, PhD
Research Technician, WCVM
Hayder works as a Research Technician in the WCVM Swine Welfare research group. He completed his BSc in Animal Science at Agriculture College in Iraq. Then, he finished his graduate studies (MSc and PhD) in Biomedical Science at WCVM (Canada) in reproductive physiology. After that, he worked as a lecturer at the College of Veterinary Medicine (2016-2018) in Iraq and at Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (2018) as a Research Assistant. In February 2022, he joined the WCVM Swine Welfare research group as a research technician, where he coordinates work evaluating the cortisol and DHEA in pig hair as stress markers, whilst additionally providing support in physiological data collection and supporting management of automated data capture on farm.
Yuanyue Wang, MSc
Research Assistant, WCVM
Yuanyue holds a BSc and MSc degree in Veterinary Medicine and worked in the pig industry in China for two years and at Fast Genetics in Canada for three years. He has a deep understanding of the pig industry, particularly in swine disease, barn management and maintenance, feed mill operation, and breeding stock selection. Currently, Yuanyue is a research assistant in the WCVM swine welfare group. At the stage of the second year, he thoroughly enjoys his work, as it not only provides him with constant opportunities for learning and self-improvement but also allows him to contribute to pig animal welfare in the industry, which he loves too.
Kayla Arisman, MA
Research Technician, WCVM
Originally from Alberta, Kayla holds a BA(Hons) and MA in Sociology from the University of Saskatchewan and has worked in various research fields. Agriculture, human-animal relations, and rural populations have been at the forefront of her research interests. Her career goals revolve around improving policy and legal frameworks for animals and humans. Kayla is excited to be part of the WCVM Swine welfare research team and contribute to the pig welfare field.
Heidi Reiss
Biology, Microbiology and Immunology BSc Undergraduate and Lab Technician, WCVM
Heidi is from Vancouver Island. She will be finishing her bachelor’s degree this year and aims to become a veterinarian afterwards. You can usually find her having a blast in the lab, currently working on the retroactive measures of stress project, but she also can be found off-site helping more hands-on with other student’s master projects. Some of these projects include swine play behaviour and swine euthanasia. She has a great sense of humour and enjoys making our group laugh, as she feels that having a positive connection and impact is important to any successful team. When she’s not working, she enjoys gaming, reading, writing stories, and drawing. She has a love for botany and has a collection of skeletons as well. If you like philosophy, well that makes two of us so don’t be shy!
Venus Tran
Research Technician, WCVM
Venus was a recent graduate from the Animal Bioscience program of the University of Saskatchewan. Animal cognition and behaviour have always been one of her biggest interests since a young age. Her career goals revolve around tending and improving the health and living conditions of animals, especially domestic ones.
