Emma Kühnelt

I am interested in the connection between agricultural science, particularly poultry science, and biomedical research during the twentieth century and the development of 'modern' industrial farming. My current MPhil dissertation looks at international attempts to standardise poultry farming and render chickens efficient protein producers through scientific methods in the interwar period. In this context, scientists took great interest in artificial insemination, fecundity and birds' reproductive health. Building on my MPhil, supervised by Nick Hopwood, my PhD will study the Poultry Research Centre in Edinburgh (today part of the Roslin Institute) and the motivations of scientists, farmers, consumers and politicians to research poultry.