Diego Brana-Varela Ph.D. Student Department of Animal Sciences University of Illinois 212 Animal Sciences Lab MC - 630 1207 West Gregory Drive Urbana, IL 61801 Phone: (217) 333-0794 E-mail: branavar@express.cites.uiuc.edu

Diego was born in Mexico City, and since 1980 has been working in swine production.  He received a Bachelor degree in Veterinarian Medicine, and graduated with Honors from the National Autonomus University of Mexico (UNAM) in 1992.   After some time working in the area of swine nutrition (Purina and private consulting) he started his Master program in Swine Nutrition in 1994, in Ajuchitlan, Queretaro (also UNAM), were he worked under the supervision of Dr. Jose Cuaron.  In 1997, Diego started working for the Mexican Federal Livestock Research Service (INIFAP) and in Fall 2002, he started a PhD program under the direction of Dr. Mike Ellis at the University of Illinois.  The research conducted by Diego, includes studies on growth performance and protein deposition in response to different amino acids profiles; the use of different fiber sources; the use of metabolic modifiers (steroid-compounds) and more recently the interactions between nutritional composition and the use of Somatotropin.  In the Ellis Lab, his research will focus on the nutritional manipulation of intramuscular fat development in pigs.