An Internship in Breeding Value Estimation - Qualitas AG

About the job

Since early February, Tarik has been doing an internship at Qualitas AG. In the breeding value estimation department, he will be involved in two projects over the coming months and deepen his knowledge. We wanted to learn a bit more about Tarik.

Hi Tarik, how did you come up with the idea to do an internship at Qualitas AG and what is the reason for it?

I am studying Agricultural Sciences at Master’s level at ETH Zurich. We are required to complete a 4-month internship in an agricultural business (not a farm) before the Master’s thesis. My minor "Ruminant Science" sparked my fascination with cattle and their breeding.

The idea to come to Qualitas first occurred to me when Jürg, Managing Director of Qualitas AG, gave a lecture on cattle breeding at ETH. When Nadine, my internship predecessor at Qualitas AG and fellow student at ETH, highly recommended the internship, I applied.

Tell us a bit more about your studies at ETH. What fascinates you the most?

I studied for 1.5 years for my Master’s at ETH. I completed my Bachelor’s in Biology at the University of Basel. I am fascinated by the relevance of the subject. The production of food was, is, and will continue to be an important topic in our society. On the other hand, I like that the training to become an agronomist is a broad interdisciplinary course. I like to see things in a larger context and find it exciting to learn something about economics, law, and politics as well. My time at ETH was very instructive and inspiring, but also very theoretically oriented. I often missed the practical connection.

Which projects will you be working on in the coming months?

In my first project, I am dealing with the assessment of the suitability of cow’s milk for cheesemaking and its breeding treatment. The second part involves model optimisation in the existing breeding value estimation for female fertility.

What interests you most about the internship at Qualitas?

I find genomic selection and its application very interesting. In addition, I also think it is important nowadays to have certain skills in statistics and programming. Qualitas is a centre of competence in this regard, and I am therefore very interested in gaining insight into how work is done here.

How do you usually spend your free time? Do you have any special hobbies you pursue?

Crafting (carpentry and metalworking) and sports (swimming, climbing, and volleyball) are probably my most important hobbies alongside cooking and going out with friends. When the season and weather are right, I also like to go mushroom picking or camping in the mountains.

Thank you, Tarik, for the information about yourself and your internship with us. We are pleased to have you with us and hope that you can spend your time with us meaningfully and instructively.