V (Virginia) Buonavita

I grew up in Italy, where I pursued a BSc in Agricultural Sciences & Technologies at University of Milan. I moved to the Netherlands in 2023 to follow the MSc Animal Sciences. Driven by the interest in ruminants, I specialised in animal nutrition, and I started writing a PhD project which was funded by the Graduate Programme 2025 of Wageningen Institute of Animal Sciences (WIAS), and I finally started m PhD journey in March 2026.

My PhD project investigates the lignin-degrading potential of the ruminal microbiota of dairy cows, with particular focus on the bacterial and fungal characterization and cultivation (multi-omics approach), and the integration of lignified agricultural residue in the dairy cows diet in the perspective of a more circular dairy farming.

My theoretical and practical expertise mainly focuses on ruminal nutrient dynamics in cattle, and I am now expanding my knowledge on the rumen microbiome and my skills in microbiology procedures. My current career goal is to become an animal nutrition researcher within the academic environment, and completing my PhD will be the first step towards that!