Megan Woodrum Setser

Assistant Professor

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About

Dr. Woodrum Setser is a researcher specializing in dairy cattle behavior and welfare. She completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Kentucky, where she focused on utilizing precision livestock technologies and assessing the personality of dairy calves to better understand animal performance and welfare. She worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and the University of Vermont, where she researched dairy-beef calf management, assessing emotional states and feed motivation in commercial systems, and explored sustainable methods to enrich dairy animals using surplus human food.

Education

• PhD in Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, 2023
• MSc in Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, 2021
• BSc in Animal Science, University of Kentucky, 2018

Academics

Courses Taught

• ANSC 3273/SAAS 273: Livestock Management/ Livestock Production
• ANSC 3674/SAAS 74: Livestock and Carcass Evaluation

Research Interests

• Investigating how precision livestock technologies and animal personality traits can be leveraged to tailor care for individual animals within commercial production systems
• Developing behavioral assessments of animal motivation and emotional states to assess welfare more holistically
• Advancing early detection and management strategies for disease in dairy and dairy-beef calves
• Exploring alternative approaches to enhance welfare, including nutritional enrichments and management strategies aimed at minimizing stress
• Examining the intersection of early-life management, critical developmental periods, and calf behavioral ontogeny to better understand resilience and long-term welfare outcomes

Hobbies/Non-Academic Interests

• Reading science fiction and fantasy
• Baking
• DIY and furniture upcycling projects