Rafaela Rodrigues dos Santos
Posdoctoral Trainee, DIH
Rafaela Rodrigues dos Santos is originally from Brazil, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Brasília in 2017. She worked in the Brazilian beef industry for four years before moving to the United States to pursue her Ph.D. in One Health Sciences at Texas Tech University (2026). As a Graduate Research Assistant, her work has focused on extracellular vesicles, microRNAs, immunology, and animal health. Her research includes molecular and microbiome studies of colostrum-derived microRNAs and their effects on neonatal calves.
As a postdoctoral researcher, Rafaela will investigate how heat stress affects neonatal immune acquisition from colostrum, focusing on immunoglobulin transfer and other bioactive components. Her work will examine how heat stress alters colostrum quality and passive immunity in calves, as well as the role of factors such as microRNAs and extracellular vesicles in early-life immune development.
Grace Larsen
Ph.D.
Grace is originally from Crystal Lake, Illinois, and started in the lab in 2022 after completing her B.S. in Animal Science at Colorado State University. Grace’s area of interest within Dr. Laporta’s lab is centered around calf growth during the preweaning period and the impacts of heat stress and nutrition on mammary and whole-body development. In her future, Grace hopes to work to continue to improve calf care. In her free time, Grace likes to hang out with her pet bunny Asparagus (Gus for short) and work on learning new crafts.
Victor A. de Oliveira
M.S.
Victor, originally from Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil, earned his B.S. in Animal Sciences from the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), where he focused on dairy sciences and worked at UFLA’s Research Dairy Center (Palmital Farm). He began his M.S. in Dairy Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Fall 2025. Victor’s primary interests include dairy nutrition—particularly amino acid balancing—and the resilience of lactating cows under stress, such as during the transition period and heat stress. Outside the lab and farm, he enjoys reading and staying active through basketball and tennis.
Maverick Guenther
Ph.D.
Maverick is from Fall River, Wisconsin, and attended the University of Findlay to obtain a B.S. in Animal Science and Equestrian Studies (2021). He then attended North Dakota State University and obtained an M.S. in Animal Science (2023). He began his Ph.D. program in Animal Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Fall 2023. When not in the lab, Maverick enjoys riding horses, being outdoors with his dog, and trying new restaurants.