Dr Kim Bunter, Principal Scientist, AGBU, University of New England first developed an interest in applied livestock genetics during her undergraduate years, when she completed an honours project at the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU). Kim obtained her Masters in 1995 and a PhD in 2002 and has worked on diverse projects across many different animal species – cattle, sheep, pigs, ostriches and oysters. Her primary expertise is in the R&D and logistical constraints of implementing new traits or better analyses into genetic evaluation systems. Kim has more than 25 years of involvement in the Australian pig industry, having conducted research into and providing advice on the development and implementation of selective breeding programs for pig breeding. Kim played a significant role in the development of IGF-I as an indirect selection criterion to improve feed efficiency in pigs, and is currently working in the areas of reproductive performance and mortality, along with phenotypes for immune responsiveness. She has a thorough understanding of the difficulties faced by industry, commencing with her research in the 90’s which investigated the use of mate selection tools to control both the rate of response and inbreeding within closed pig breeding herds.