Dr. Stephen LeBlanc Named Inaugural Director of Dairy at Guelph

Dr. Stephen LeBlanc, professor in the Department of Population Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College, has been named the inaugural director of Dairy at Guelph. Dairy at Guelph is an internationally recognized centre of research excellence in dairy production science and systems at the University of Guelph.

Dr. LeBlanc is well known to the Canadian and international dairy industries and is one of the most highly-cited dairy researchers in the world. Dr. LeBlanc's interdisciplinary research uses emerging concepts and tools to understand metabolic and reproductive health and management in dairy cows.

“Dairy at Guelph comprises one of the largest and most innovative dairy research teams in the world,” says Jeff Wichtel, Dean of the Ontario Veterinary College. “Dr. LeBlanc is an outstanding veterinary researcher, and I know he will lead this group to a new level of prominence, generating science solutions for a forward-looking agri-food industry that is a central pillar supporting the prosperity and wellbeing of Canadians”

"We are so happy to see Stephen in this leadership role, for an initiative that has and will do so much to synergize the remarkable dairy related capacity we have at the University of Guelph," says Rene Van Acker, Dean of the Ontario Agricultural College.

Dairy at Guelph was established in 2016 to increase the visibility of dairy scholarship and to catalyze research collaborations among faculty across the University of Guelph. The centre’s mission is to enhance the accomplishments and recognition of dairy-related research at the University of Guelph. To this end, Dairy at Guelph promotes the expertise and capabilities of the university, acts as the face and point of contact for external stakeholders and collaborators, disseminates information about research activities and findings, and seeks and encourages collaborations and synergies in research within and beyond the University of Guelph.

With a network of more than 60 associated faculty and over 140 graduate students and postdocs across all colleges, Dairy at Guelph is poised to provide further opportunities for enhanced research visibility, collaboration, and success. It provides strategic leadership and administrative support for relationships with major partners and funders for dairy research. Dairy at Guelph delivers both internally- and externally focused events including public lectures, seminars, workshops, and symposia and animal welfare training courses. It catalyzes connections among faculty, funders, and students, and delivers communications to promote its mission and position.

Dr. LeBlanc will work with collaborating researchers, partners, and other stakeholders to develop both a business and strategic plan to chart the path for Dairy at Guelph over the next five years and build on the centre’s success to date. 

“I’m happy and proud to take on the work of leading Dairy at Guelph. The productivity and positivity of our associated faculty and students are inspiring,” says Dr. LeBlanc. “I am enthusiastic about the opportunities ahead to earn and enhance our position as Canada’s Dairy University.”

For more information about Dairy at Guelph, visit dairyatguelph.ca.