Meet The Team

The man in charge. 

Dr. Daal Damiran is a Professional Research Associate with the Lardner lab group. Daal obtained his PhD degree in Animal Science at Oregon State University. His research interests include beef cattle, diet selection, livestock-wildlife interactions, modeling nutrient supply, rangeland monitoring, and Mongolian rangelands. 

Katrina grew up in Beaumont, Alberta. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Animal Bioscience from the University of Saskatchewan in 2021, then completed her master’s degree in 2024 in Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine through the University of Saskatchewan. She completed her master’s under the supervision of Diego Moya, and focused on beef cattle behaviour, welfare, and epidemiology. Now, Katrina leads the Lardner laboratory as the research technician providing guidance to the graduate students, organizing trials, assisting with teaching undergraduate students, and much more. 

Dr. Razie Khorshidi is a postdoctoral research fellow in Dr Lardner’s lab group. She earned her PhD in Animal Science from Livestock Gentec, University of Alberta, bringing with her extensive experience and technical expertise in the research and analysis of genetic, genomic, and phenotypic data in beef cattle.

She is working on a research project entitled “Application of Genomic Tools for Commercial Beef Producers.” In this project, she will evaluate the impact of economically important multi-trait selection indexes using genomically enhanced expected progeny differences (GE-EPDs) when purchasing unproven/young bulls from seedstock resources for commercial operations.

She aims to bridge the gap between the seedstock and commercial sectors by helping producers understand and apply genetic information effectively—ultimately enabling them to raise more consistent, market-ready cattle that meet consumer demands.

Dr. Richard Dooso Oloo is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Lardner laboratory. He earned his PhD in Agricultural Sciences, specializing in Animal Science and Quantitative Genetics, from the University of Hohenheim in Germany. He has extensive expertise in designing data collection tools, big-data management, statistical analysis, and genetic and genomic evaluation. His research interests include breeding for climate resilience in livestock and developing strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the livestock sector.

Yene earned his PhD in Ecology from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS). His research interests include rangeland ecology, ecosystem restoration, sustainable grazing management, forage productivity and quality, invasive species dynamics, and biodiversity conservation. Currently, he is working under the supervision of Dr. Bart Lardner on a project investigating the integration of livestock into annual cropland systems to improve agricultural sustainability and productivity.