15^th Biennal Conference, Association for Applied Animal Andrology

We are thrilled to invite you to Obihiro, Japan, for this meeting, a Satellite Conference in association with the ICAR meeting.

Meeting overview:

Saturday, June 20: Oral and poster presentations based on submitted abstracts and some presentations by invited speakers.  This is an excellent opportunity for trainees to share their work in a friendly environment; we will award cash prizes to the 3 best oral presentations by trainees. All accepted abstracts that are presented as oral or poster presentations will be published in a Special Issue of Animal Reproduction Science (along with full-length manuscripts from invited presentations).

Sunday, June 21: Presentations by invited speakers.

On these 2 days, there will be ample opportunity for informal discussions and networking during coffee breaks and lunch.

Monday, June 21 (morning only): An informal workshop to discuss andrology topics.

These meetings will be held in the same location as the ICAR meeting, close to the centre of Obihiro. Come early to Obihiro, participate in the AAAA meeting and then attend ICAR (which begins on Monday afternoon).

We are very pleased to confirm the following speakers: 

Dagmar Waberski, University of Hannover, Germany

Working title: Preservation of boar semen: Challenges and innovations

Prof. Dr. Dagmar Waberski is the Leader of Pig Reproduction at the Unit for Reproductive Medicine at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany. Her research focuses on boar semen, particularly biosecurity and alternatives to antibiotics in semen extenders.

Jane Morrell, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden

Working title: The seminal microbiome: implications for antibiotics in semen extenders

Originally from the United Kingdom, Jane Morrell is faculty Professor in Veterinary Reproductive Biotechnologies at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden. She is also a Diplomate of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, UK. She has been active in research for 40 years, first in the UK, then Germany, and now Sweden, principally in how to improve sperm quality to increase reproductive efficiency in a wide variety of species, from honey bees to elephants, although most of her work has been done in livestock and horses. Recently her research has focussed on the microbiome of the reproductive tract and how it can potentially be manipulated to improve fertility. She has had many international collaborations and in addition has hosted many PhD students and post-docs from other countries in her group in Uppsala. A particularly relevant topic for society today is antimicrobial resistance, and one aspect of her current research is to find alternatives to replace antibiotics in the semen extenders used in artificial insemination. Apart from the topics already mentioned, she is particularly interested in conservation of endangered species and rare breeds.

Simon de Graaf, University of Sydney, Australia

Working title: New tools for standardisation of sperm morphology assessment

Simon de Graaf is Professor of Animal Reproduction at The University of Sydney and Secretary General of the International Congress on Animal Reproduction (ICAR). His research focuses on the reproduction of rams and bulls and the complex interaction among sperm, seminal plasma and the female reproductive tract and its secretions, across a range of farm animal species including cattle, sheep and horses.

Sean Fair, University of Limerick, Ireland

Working title: Molecular markers and functional traits as predictors of bull fertility

Sean Fair is Professor of Animal Reproduction at the University of Limerick. His research is focused on sperm interaction with the female reproductive tract, and its secretions, across a range of farm animal species including cattle, sheep and horses.

Harald Sieme, University of Hannover, Germany

Working title: How has ART improved stallion reproductive performance?

Prof. Dr. Sieme is a Professor of Equine Reproductive Medicine at University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany. His research interests include stallion fertility, sperm cryobiology and reproductive biotechnologies (AI and embryo transfer).

Jacob Thundathil, University of Calgary, Canada

Working title: Regulation of protein synthesis during bovine sperm capacitation

Jacob Thundathil is a Professor of Theriogenology in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada. He conducts research on regulation of testis and sperm function, and early embryo development, with a goal to translate these findings to enhance animal productivity.

Manuel Alvarez-Rodriguez, INIA-CSIC, Spain

Working title: Porcine sperm biomarkers and transcriptomics

Dr. Alvarez-Rodriguez is a Científico Titular (Tenured Scientist) at Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Madrid, Spain. His work includes many aspects of sperm, male-female interactions, and early embryonic development.

Spermology in Animal Production and Conservation

Eleni Malama, University of Zurich, Switzerland

Working title: Flow cytometric insights into bovine sperm membrane dynamics, freezability, and fertility potential

Dr. Eleni Malama is a Research Assistant at the Clinic of Reproductive Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland. Her research focuses on andrology and reproductive biology in farm animals, with particular interest in the evaluation of sperm function and fertility management in male animals. Dr. Malama’s work involves sperm analysis techniques—such as flow cytometry, computer-assisted sperm analysis, and molecular assays—for assessing sperm functional competence. She is also engaged in studies on the prediction of male fertility and the development of biomarkers for reproductive success. Dr. Malama is experienced in experimental design, statistical analysis, and the application of innovative data-driven approaches to animal reproduction research. She particularly enjoys exploring and interpreting research data, often approaching data analysis as both a key scientific tool and a source of curiosity.

Guilherme Rizzoto, University of Bologna, Italy

Working title: Multiple facets of heat stress impact in rams and bulls: Insights from the field to the cell.

Dr. Rizzoto is an Assistant Professor of Animal Reproduction at the University of Bologna, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. His research focus is how heat stress impairs testicular function and spermatogenesis, from field assessments to cellular and molecular perspectives.

John P. Kastelic, University of Calgary, Canada

Working title: Melatonin mitigates deleterious effects of increased testicular temperature.

Bio: John Kastelic is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Calgary, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. He retired from the university in 2025, after working there for more than 12 years. Prior to that, he spent 22 years as a Research Scientist in Animal Reproduction at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Lethbridge Research Centre.

Dr. Kastelic has conducted many research studies in male ruminants, particularly bulls, including scrotal and testicular thermoregulation and effects of early-life nutrition on puberty and reproductive development.

Registration will be open soon. If you have any immediate questions please email us: animalandrology@gmail.com