A research director at the Alltech European Bioscience Centre in Dunboyne, Co. Meath, is set to receive the Alltech Medal of Excellence.
Dr. Richard Murphy will be presented with his award at the Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE19) when the event returns to Lexington, Kentucky, US. The event takes place from May 19 to May 21.
According to a statement from Alltech, Murphy is receiving the award for his “pioneering work” in the areas of organic trace element assimilation, microbial enzyme technology and the mitigation of antimicrobial resistance in livestock production.
Murphy’s career with Alltech began when he received his Ph.D. from the National University of Ireland, Galway, after Alltech awarded him a research scholarship.
He was under the tutelage of Dr. Ronan Power, who is now vice president of Alltech Life Sciences, at the company’s original Alltech European Bioscience Centre, which Murphy has now led for 17 years.
According to Alltech, his research has provided the basis for “a revolution in animal nutrition”, including several developments in the industry.
- The application of organic trace minerals and their potential to positively impact feed quality and decrease feed costs;
- The optimisation of solid state fermentation systems by utilising microbial enzyme production, opening opportunities for new supplementation approaches;
- Gaining a better understanding of the microbial factors that influence gut health, which has been integral to the development of novel strategies for mitigating antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.
The Alltech Medal of Excellence is awarded each year during the opening session of ONE.
Previous recipients include: the late Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder of Alltech; George Blankenship, former executive at Tesla Motors, Apple Computer and GAP Inc; former US Secretary of State Colin Powell; John Calipari, men’s basketball coach at the University of Kentucky; and Alan Mulally, former CEO of Ford.
Speaking ahead of the awards, Dr. Murphy said: “I’m very honored to receive the Alltech Medal of Excellence, particularly given the caliber of previous recipients.
“Having been mentored throughout my career by two past recipients, Dr. Karl Dawson [vice president and chief scientific officer at Alltech] and Dr. Ronan Power, I consider myself lucky to have worked with such influential scientists, who have guided me through the many stages of my scientific adventures,” he concluded.