Joël Bérard: Good Cooperation in Research – where 1+1 Makes More than Two

Joël Bérard

Joël Bérard became the new Head of Agroscope’s ‘Animal Production Systems and Animal Health’ Strategic Research Division on 1 April 2020. In this capacity, he is also a member of the Executive Board.

The career trajectory of the new Head of the ‘Animal Production Systems and Animal Health’ Research Division has encompassed various internships in Italy, Germany and Switzerland, where he researched in the field of livestock production with a passion and gathered ideas for a sustainable future. From his birthplace in Val d’Aosta, a bilingual region of Italy, he brings his perfect French with its lilting intonation and a close connection with nature and the mountains. Before arriving at Agroscope, Bérard – a food engineer with a degree from the University of Parma – was from 2017 Head of Research at Agro Vet-Strickhof, the education and research centre created by Strickhof, the Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich.

Joël Bérard looks forward to his tenure at Agroscope, where he intends to further develop and implement research into livestock production systems, making full use of the organisational, coordinating and negotiating skills that he has acquired over the years. He hopes to promote exchange between the different Research Groups, as he is convinced that “especially in research, 1 plus 1 sometimes equals 3.”

A well-known figure in the scientific community and livestock sector, Joël Bérard possesses an extensive network of contacts.