Timothy Mutsvangwa

Biography

Dr. Timothy (Tim) Mutsvangwa is a Professor of Ruminant Nutrition and Metabolism. He grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe, and spent his school holidays milking indigenous Bos indicus cows in the village. He completed a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science at the University of Zimbabwe, a Master’s degree in Animal Nutrition at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, and a Ph.D. degree in Ruminant Nutrition and Metabolism at the University of Guelph. He joined the University of Saskatchewan as an Assistant Professor in September 2003. Before that, he was a Post-doctoral Fellow at the University of Guelph and also worked as a Principal Research Scientist (Dairy Nutrition and Management) at Henderson Research Station (Department of Research and Specialist Services, Ministry of Agriculture) in Zimbabwe.

Research Interest

My research group focuses on improving the efficiency of nitrogen utilization in ruminants, with a specific emphasis on improving our understanding of the nutritional, physiological and molecular mechanisms that regulate nitrogen (urea-nitrogen) recycling to the gut and the incorporation of recycled nitrogen into microbial protein in ruminants. Two types of protein molecules, referred to as urea transporters and aquaporins, are expressed in the wall of the ruminant fore-stomachs and are involved in the transport of urea-nitrogen from the bloodstream into the fore-stomachs; however, we do not know what regulates the activity of these protein molecules and that is a major focus of my research group. For this research, we use isotopic techniques to study in vivo whole-body urea-nitrogen kinetics and serosal-to-mucosal passage of urea-nitrogen across gut tissues mounted under varying ex vivo conditions in Ussing chambers. Other recent research has focused on the characterization of the transitional changes in body protein metabolism and gene expression profiles for the major protein degradation systems in skeletal muscle in dairy cows, and how transition cow feeding management might alter these changes. My research group has also focused on feed evaluation, primarily the utilization of protein supplements such as canola meal and wheat-based dried distillers grains in dairy cow diets.