Qualifications: BSc (Agric) Animal Science (Alemaya), MSc (Agric) Animal Science (Sokoine), PhD (Agric) Pasture Science (Pretoria)

Position:  Associate Professor

Fields of expertise: Ruminant Nutrition, Pasture Science, Development of dietary additives, Climate smart livestock production

Orcid profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8240-3414

Tel: + 27 (0)12 4203273

E-mail: [email protected]

Professional memberships:

• South African Society for Animal Science
• Grassland Society of Southern Africa

NRF Rating: 

C3

Prof Abubeker Hassen research focus is on optimization of forage use, plant based dietary additives to modulate rumen fermentation and reduce enteric methane emission, and development of feeding systems suitable for Climate Smart Livestock Production in the Mixed Crop-Livestock system in Africa. He is engaged in multidisciplinary and trans-disciplinary research where he is working with different groups to integrate remotely sensed data into crop and grassland computer models to simulate the impact of climate change and various adaptation and mitigation options on ruminant production and net greenhouse gas emission.

Prof Hassen has authored/co-authored more than 70 scientific papers in peer reviewed journals and numerous conference presentations including three invited keynote addresses at conferences. He has supervised and co-supervised 10 PhD and 14 MSc students to completion and currently supervising/co-supervising 10 PhD and 14 MSc students, respectively.

Prof Hassen is currently involved in the following on-going funded projects:

Principal investigator: The use of encapsulated Moringa plant extract and Mimosa tannin to manipulate rumen fermentation, enteric methane emission and meat quality. (Funding organization: National Research Foundation, South Africa, Grant No: 118518).

Member of the ECOlogical intensification pathways for the future of crop-livestock integration in AFRICAn agriculture (EcoAfrica) ((Funding organization: African Union Research Grant, Total Budget for MODEXTREME project € 879 639.08, University of Pretoria share is € 72 838.71).

Member of the Sustainable natural resource utilization and livestock production in the era of climate change through targeted interventions. ((Funding organization: ARC climate change collaboration centre (ARC-CCCC), Total Budget for the R 882 000, University of Pretoria share is R 138 600).

Principal investigator for COLLABORATIVE POSTGRADUATE TRAINING PROGRAMME: Co-funding for ECLIPS project ‘Regional cooperation network for emergence of crop-livestock (ruminants) systems adapted to environment.’ (Funding organization: National Research Foundation, South Africa, Budget Amount: R 1 995 000).