DSM has granted its Nutrition Award 2011 to Dr. Yves Nys of INRA, the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to research in the field of poultry nutrition. Dr. Nys was the unanimous choice of an international judging committee, chaired by Dr. Georg Kau, Vice President Research & Development at DSM Nutritional Products. The award, which carries a cash prize of €50,000, was presented to Dr. Nys on November 2 at the 18th European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition 2011 in Cesme (Izmir), Turkey.
Dr. Yves Nys, winner of the Nutrition Award 2011
A leader in his field
A physiologist and nutritionist, Dr. Nys specializes in the study of the poultry egg in terms of its formation, structure and quality as well as its natural defenses. In the course of several decades of research activity, he has also addressed topics such as the mineral metabolism of poultry, the fabric of the eggshell, the nutrition and physiology of laying hens, the assessment of feedstuffs for their specific utility in birds’ feeding, and the development of sustainable ways of poultry production with a lower impact on the environment.
According to the judging committee, Dr. Nys has made a major contribution to the world’s understanding of the role of nutrition in improving the quality of poultry products. ‘His research has resulted in an impressive record of scientific publications, almost all dedicated to poultry nutrition and physiology at a very deep experimental and analytical level. His publications – positioned at the interface of nutrition, physiology and molecular biology – have provided new insights into the mineral metabolism of poultry and egg quality.’
Dr. Nys is currently President of the European Federation of the World Poultry Science Association (WPSA).
Asked for his reaction on receiving the award, Dr. Nys said: ‘I am very pleased and deeply honored to receive the DSM Nutrition Award 2011 as a recognition of the energy and passion I have devoted to poultry science for more than thirty years. I have been allowed to explore poultry nutrition and hen metabolism at INRA, where I can rely on both exceptional human support and quality research facilities. I am also proud I could convince my colleagues to join international academic and industrial networks and to use the bird model to investigate multidisciplinary approaches in order to support the development of the poultry sector.’
The Award
The Nutrition Award forms part of the DSM Bright Science Awards program. It is granted every two years and alternates between the fields of human and animal nutrition. The DSM Nutrition Award for Animal Nutrition is granted in recognition of excellence in innovative research in the nutritional sciences. This can be research of a fundamental nature as well as applied research providing solutions to important research questions related to animal nutrition.
