Pet Food Conference
January 30, 2024 | 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. ET
Georgia World Congress Center | Thomas B. Murphy Ballroom | Atlanta, Ga.

Student Opportunities
The American Feed Industry Association is pleased to provide an opportunity for outstanding students to present their research or subject matter reviews during the AFIA Pet Food Conference. Three graduate students will be invited to present their work as speakers during the conference and undergraduate students will have the opportunity to present a poster.
Applications for student presentations is already closed. Click here for details of application for undergraduate students poster presentation.
2021 Featured Students
Sydney Banton
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Sydney graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. After completing undergraduate research, she decided to pursue a Master’s at the University of Guelph in companion animal nutrition with Dr. Anna Kate Shoveller. Sydney’s research is focused on grain-free diets in dogs, including an animal trial investigating the effects of supplemental methionine, taurine and creatine, carnitine and choline on amino acid concentrations in Beagles and an international consumer habit survey. At AFIA, Sydney will be presenting data from the pet food consumer habit survey, looking at predictive factors that contribute to a dog owner’s choice of grain-free dog food in dog owners from France, Germany, the UK, Canada and the United States. |
Hannah Godfrey |
Hannah is currently in her third and final year of her Master’s of Science in Clinical Studies at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, after graduating with a BScH in Biology with a minor in Nutrition and Nutraceutical Science at the University of Guelph. Currently, her research interests include nutraceuticals and functional foods and their use in animal health. Her MSc thesis project focuses specifically on the effects of choline supplementation in growing, post-gonadectomy kittens on lipid metabolism and body composition. Hannah is a pet owner herself with her two cats, Benny (pictured) and Balthazar. |
Xinyao Wei |
Xinyao is a Ph.D. student from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln advised by Dr. Mary-Grace Danao and Dr. Jeyam Subbiah. Xinyao received his M.S. in the UNL Food Science & Technology Department in 2017. His research focuses on validation of pasteurization technologies to enhance the safety of low moisture foods. |