Vitor Mercante
Ph.D Candidate
University of Florida
Quincy, Florida
Originally from Sao Paulo state, Brazil, Vitor R.G. Mercadante comes from a family with a strong agricultural history, and naturally became passionate and enthusiastic about agriculture, especially beef production. This passion led him to the Sao Paulo University, to obtain his Doctor of veterinary medicine degree. At this time he served as the director of beef production for student enterprise consulting on agricultural issues called, Conapec Jr. This experience allowed him to learn firsthand how important research is in solving everyday problems that beef producers encounter. After completing his degree in veterinary medicine, Vitor obtained his MS degree at the University of Florida under Dr. G. C. Lamb focusing on strategies to improve feed efficiency of beef cattle systems. This unique experience during graduate school gave Vitor the desire to further his studies in animal physiology and molecular biology, and he is expected to complete his PhD program in the summer of 2015.
