Explore UCD

UCD Home >

Spotlights

Each month, we put a 'Spotlight On' a different researcher in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine to find out more about the path leading to their current role in the School, their area of interest and what drew them into this area, what they enjoy most about their work, what they find most challenging and the best thing about working in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine.
Click on the boxes below to find out more!

Spotlight On

Osvaldo Bogado Pascottini with a beard wearing a black T-shirt and black cap stands on a mountain trail with misty peaks behind him. The image is framed by a bright yellow background.
Osvaldo Bogado Pascottini

From the Paraguayan Chaco to University College Dublin, Dr Osvaldo Ortíz brings a wealth of international experience in bovine reproduction, animal health, and microbiome research. His journey spans cattle ranching in South America, a PhD in Belgium, and postdoctoral research in Canada. Now an Ad Astra Fellow at the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, Osvaldo is leading innovative work to decode the “healthy, fertile” uterine microbiome in dairy cows, with the aim of developing non-antibiotic treatments for uterine disease. His research is grounded in real-world experience, scientific curiosity, and a passion for improving cattle fertility and welfare.
Philip Becker Smiling Standing Outside The Department of Agriculture and Food Laboratories in a Yellow Frame
Philip Becker

Philip Becker, a Stage 4 Undergraduate Veterinary Medicine student at UCD tells us about how growing up on his family’s farm, he developed a deep-rooted passion for animal care. Surrounded by animals from a young age and regularly assisting the local vet, his interest in veterinary medicine grew naturally alongside a strong aptitude for science and maths
Amy H Fitzpatrick
Amy H Fitzpatrick

Amy Fitzpatrick, IRC Postdoctoral Fellow (PD Level 1) in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine speaks to us about how her journey took her from creative arts into an impactful research career in foodborne virology.

Photo of Dr Sourav Bhattacharjee
Sourav Bhattacharjee

Dr Sourav Bhattacharjee, Assistant Professor in our Veterinary Biosciences Section, tells us about kite-flying in Kolkata, going to medical school, what brought him to the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine and his teaching and research work in the School.
Nicola Fletcher
Nicola Fletcher

Dr Nicola Fletcher, Assistant Professor in our Veterinary Biosciences Section, tells us about developing an interest in science, her love of research, realising a lifelong dream of working in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, and telescopes and travels!
Eilidh Thomson
Eilidh Thomson

Eilidh Thomson, Resident in Large Animal Clinical Reproduction (ECAR), tells us about growing up in a house full of animals, moving to Dublin in the middle of the pandemic to start a cattle reproduction residency in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, future travel plans and finding an excuse to bake!
Robin Farrell
Robin Farrell

Robin Farrell, Veterinary Nursing Programme Director, tells us about working in the Bronx Zoo as a teenager, becoming a general practice veterinary technician with the US military and why she chose to leave the tropical island of St Kitts to take up a position in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine!
Jennifer Dillon & Ellen O\'Donovan
Jennifer Dillon & Ellen O'Donovan

Undergraduate students Jennifer Dillon & Ellen O'Donovan tell us why they decided to study Veterinary Medicine, how they got involved in research and what they enjoy doing in their time away from the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine!

Orla Byrne
Orla Byrne

Orla Byrne, PhD student in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, tells us about growing up on a farm in Wicklow, working in the horse racing industry and exploring different careers and skills while untangling her 'Ikigai.'
Steve Gordon
Steve Gordon

Steve Gordon, Professor in Infection Biology in the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, tells us about growing up in the Mayo countryside, career successes and setbacks, and the opportunities he's had to live in different places and work with so many fantastic people!
Mary Sekiya
Mary Sekiya

Mary Sekiya, Chief Technical Officer in the School of Veterinary Medicine Pathobiology Section, tells us about growing up in Chicago, what brought her to Ireland, and bringing sustainability to a higher level in UCD.
Seamus Hoey
Seamus Hoey

Seamus Hoey, Assistant Professor in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, tells us about his time as an undergraduate student in UCD, how his love of Radiology developed and the diverse opportunities that come with a career in Veterinary Medicine.

Contact the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine

UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
T: +353 1 716 6100 | Location Map(opens in a new window)