Our expertise and links with the global livestock community are crucial for success.
SEBI-Livestock is uniquely positioned to close the livestock data gap, with expertise in veterinary science, data science, social science, international development and communications.
Meet the team
Dr. Karen Smyth
Program Director
Dr. Fiona Allan
Researcher (Animal Health)Fiona contributes technical and scientific expertise in animal health, providing support to the SEBI-Livestock monitoring and learning team. She also contributes to the publication of peer-reviewed outputs of SEBI-Livestock, including field projects and systematic reviews, and other reports for external consumption. Fiona is a veterinarian with specialist knowledge of the current challenges facing smallholder producers in low- and middle-income countries. She has a PhD in Infection and Immunity from the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, and has multidisciplinary experience of clinical practice, study design and implementation, rural field work, molecular techniques, questionnaire design, and focus group workshops with smallholder farmers in Tanzania.
Vlad Cherman
Data analyst programmerVlad joined the SEBI-Livestock team to help support the processing, testing and analysis of project data. He has a keen interest in uncovering findings and developing data-driven solutions that can lead to improvements in public health, particularly within underprivileged communities. Vlad has previous experience analysing data for a large-scale mental health survey on Scottish students. He holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Computer Science, as well as a Masters degree in Data Analytics.
Agnieszka Czechon
LD4D Communications and Engagement OfficerAgnieszka joined SEBI-Livestock community as LD4D Communications and Engagement Officer to provide support with creating engaging communications and organising impactful events. She began her career in mental health before transitioning to communications. Starting as a volunteer in communication roles with Scottish charities, she joined The University of Edinburgh seven years ago. During this time, she worked with diverse medical research groups helping them to achieve their communication objectives and raise their profiles within international scientific communities, while simultaneously completing her MSc in Marketing.
Dr. Katie Dirsmith
Researcher (Livestock Insights & Modelling)Katie is a Researcher working with the SEBI-Livestock team to develop models to support livestock decisions. She is a veterinarian with experience in the design, implementation, and data analysis involved in research studies in livestock and wildlife. She has practiced veterinary medicine on smallholder farms in Puerto Rico, working with producers to promote herd health. Katie is interested in collaborating with others to provide innovative data solutions to challenges faced by smallholder producers in areas with limited resources. Katie holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and a BSc (Hons) degree in Biomedical Sciences from Colorado State University.
Dr. Louise Donnison
SEBI-L Deputy Director, Head of Data and MonitoringLouise is committed to delivering data solutions focused on stakeholder needs. She has a dual background in agriculture and informatics and 20 years of experience working in both the private and public sector in the UK and internationally. She has worked on complex IT projects in finance, telecoms and government, and research projects collating data and evidence to inform agricultural policies and fisheries management decisions. She has a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford, a PhD in Grassland Soil Ecology from the University of Aberystwyth, a diploma in Business Analysis from the British Computer Society.
Karen Galloway
Senior Project ManagerKaren joined the SEBI-L team in December 2023 as Senior Project Manager. Karen has a background in commercial marketing and communications, an MBA from the University of Edinburgh and brings a broad range of business skills to the team. Karen is responsible for the commercial, business and development of SEBI-L.
Sophia Jenkinson
Data Analyst ProgrammerSophia brings her skills in data visualisation and analysis to the SEBI-Livestock team, where she focuses on turning complex datasets into actionable insights. Her work is driven by a strong commitment to leveraging data for meaningful impact, particularly in projects addressing societal challenges. She holds a BA in Mathematics and an MSc in Data, Inequality, and Society from the University of Edinburgh, where she specialized in the ethical application of data and advanced visualisation techniques.
Julie Koehler
Head of Gender (Data in Livestock Development)Julie Koehler is passionate about leading behaviour change processes that support deeper inclusion and gender integration within teams. As Head of Gender (Data in Livestock Development) she leads collaborations that support the use of data towards transformative change. Julie has 20 years of experience in humanitarian response, development, and academia, and has worked to build and deliver systems, processes and structures that help integrate gender across portfolios from country teams to global initiatives. She has worked with teams across sectors and contexts to get past challenges and implement solutions. She is a convener of people and a facilitator of collaborative and empowering spaces.
Vanessa Meadu
Communications and Knowledge Exchange SpecialistVanessa leads communications and knowledge exchange activities for SEBI-Livestock as well as for the Livestock Data for Decisions (LD4D) Community of Practice. She has a deep interest in sustainable development communications, particularly in the agricultural sector. She previously led communications for the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) based at the University of Copenhagen, and was a Communications Officer at the World Agroforestry Centre in Nairobi, Kenya.
Alap Mehta
Data Scientist (Currently on leave of absence)Alap is a Data Scientist at SEBI-Livestock. He initially joined the team while doing his Masters degree, developing a prototype process for data extraction using novel data science tools. Alap has keen interests in building algorithms and designing experiments to merge, manage, interrogate and extract data to supply insights to colleagues, customers or the wider organisation. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, and Masters degree in Data Science.
Ana Miranda
LD4D Development ManagerAna is an economist with expertise in providing technical assistance to programmes targeting smallholder farming systems. She has worked as a monitoring and evaluation specialist for FAO and UNDP in different projects across Latin America and Africa. She has a MSc in Economics for Rural Development and a MA in Social Policy and Social Development from the University of Manchester. As LD4D Manager her role is to lead on the development of the network and delivery of outputs and outcomes.
Isabell Orlishausen
Data Analyst ProgrammerIsabell is passionate about using data for the social good to address global challenges, such as improving livestock health and smallholder livelihoods worldwide. Holding a Master’s degree in Health Data Science with a background in Bioinformatics, she helps support the development of data pipelines to transform and process animal health and livestock data for evidence-based decision making.
Carys Redman-White
PhD CandidateCarys is a PhD candidate using interdisciplinary data-focused methods to investigate antimicrobial use and resistance at the livestock-human interface in sub-Saharan Africa, working with SEBI-Livestock and the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security. She is exploring how existing data covering a range of biological, socioeconomic, and environmental factors can be mobilised to fill gaps in knowledge in resource-poor locations where direct surveillance of antimicrobials is challenging. Carys holds degrees in Veterinary Medicine and Zoology from Cambridge University and worked in clinical practice before returning to university to gain an MRes in Epidemiology from Newcastle University. She is studying with the EASTBIO Doctoral Training Partnership and is supervised in her PhD by Professor Dominic Moran, Professor Andy Peters, and Dr Adrian Muwonge.
Antonia Robb
SEBI Administrative OfficerAntonia is responsible for leading SEBI-Livestock’s administrative and financial services. This includes the project’s administrative function, co-ordinating the financial management of the project budget and organising international meetings and workshops. Antonia brings extensive experience in administration, having worked in administrative roles within Edinburgh University since 2006. She has previous experience working within the finance and travel industries.
Dr. Frances Ryan
Researcher (Livestock and Environment)Frances is currently supporting SEBI-Livestock to build an evidence base, focused on the connections between livestock production and the environment. Frances has a varied environmental and biological science background. Previous work has involved researching chemicals in the environment as well as monitoring pollen. Frances has also explored the relationship between India’s mandatory corporate social responsibility spend and smallholders, who supply rice to large companies. Frances holds a PhD from the University of Edinburgh, in conjunction with Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), where she developed a nutrient budget assessment approach for livestock and arable systems in Scotland covering a 31 year period.
Dr. Gareth Salmon
Senior ResearcherGareth currently supports a range of SEBI-Livestock’s activities including monitoring and evaluation, the development of the livestockdata.org website, and research on livestock production and economic modelling. He has experience working with livestock production in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, and also practical experience of livestock farming in the UK. Gareth holds a PhD from The University of Edinburgh and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), where he investigated productivity and GHG emissions intensity of Senegalese dairy production systems.
Xiawen Wang
Data ScientistXiawen joined the SEBI-Livestock team as a Data Scientist to provide data processing support for the project datasets. Xiawen is interested in programming and providing technical solutions to make large-scale data more accessible and understandable. She holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Genetics and an MSc degree in Bioinformatics from the University of Edinburgh. She has research experience in processing and analysing genome-wide association data and large-scale chromatin structure imaging data.
Dr. Johanna Wong
Monitoring & Learning (M&L) Outreach OfficerJohanna is an interdisciplinary researcher interested in livestock, food systems and human nutrition. She is committed to working towards improving the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in resource-poor areas. Her PhD explored the contributions of village chickens to maternal and child nutrition in rural Timor-Leste. Johanna has experience in the design and implementation of field surveys, mixed methods research and data analysis. She has also worked on aquaculture and livestock policy analysis in Bangladesh and Nigeria. Johanna holds a degree in Veterinary Science, and a PhD in Food and Nutrition Security and Veterinary Science from the University of Sydney.