During her PhD studies, Niloofar Razmgah researched the effects of non-digestible carbohydrates with varying physicochemical characteristics in vitro and in vivo in piglets to mitigate post-weaning diarrhea, a condition often caused by stress-induced gut susceptibility to pathogens such as Escherichia coli. Niloofar Razmgah studied how non-digestible carbohydrates with different chemical and structural compositions modulate gut microbiota composition, fermentation, short-chain fatty acid production, and gut resilience in piglets, aiming to reduce the negative consequences of post-weaning diarrhea through dietary strategies.

The new research findings contribute to the understanding of how novel dietary strategies, including non-digestible carbohydrates derived from plant and non-plant sources, can alleviate the adverse impacts of the critical weaning transition, while also reducing antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance.

The PhD study was completed at the Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University (AU Viborg).

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Monday, 06 July 2026 at 13:00
Place: Auditorium, Aarhus University, AU Viborg, Blichers Allé 20, Tjele
Title of PhD thesis: Non-Digestible Carbohydrates as Drivers of Gut Microbiota and Fermentation in Weaning Piglets
Contact information: Niloofar Razmgah, e-mail: niloofarrazmgah@anivet.au.dk, tel.: +491771417557
Members of the assessment committee:
Associate Professor Sonja de Vries, Department of Animal Nutrition, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Professor Mette Boye, Department of Animal Health, Section of Pathology, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Norway 
Professor Peter T. Thomsen (chair), Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Management and Modelling, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor:
Professor Knud Erik Bach Knudsen, Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Gut and Host Health, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisors:
Senior Researcher Nuria Canibe, Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Gut and Host Health, Aarhus University, Denmark
Senior Researcher Mette Skou Hedemann, Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Gut and Host Health, Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Technical Sciences/GSTS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.