Dr. Katrin Hinrichs is Professor and Patsy Link Chair in Mare Reproductive Studies in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. She obtained her DVM from the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis and her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Hinrichs has pioneered research into equine assisted reproduction, producing the first cloned horse in North America and developing the first successful program for equine intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and in vitro embryo production in the US. Her research has led to new methods for shipment of immature oocytes, biopsy of equine embryos, and for cryopreservation of expanded equine blastocysts, all now utilized worldwide. Dr. Hinrichs has received honors including Theriogenologist of the Year from the American College of Theriogenologists, an honorary doctorate from the University of Copenhagen, and the  2016 Simmet Prize for Assisted Reproduction from the International Congress of Animal Reproduction.  

Tullis Matson has worked in the equine industry for over 25 years.  He began running the small natural covering stud at the family farm in 1989.  In 1990 went to New Zealand to learn the practice of Artificial Insemination before returning home to set up one of the first equine AI only units in the UK.  

Stallion AI Services Ltd was formed in 2000 and is one of the most successful stallion collection centres in Europe, offering semen collection services, fertility assessment and worldwide semen export.  We have collected from over 1100 stallions, across 51 different breeds.

In recent years, Tullis has carried out research into semen collection, stallion fertility and cryopreservation methods of equine semen and embryos.  He has developed bespoke extenders for stallions and harvested semen from post castration testicles. He lectures worldwide on equine breeding and stallion management and also works with organisations such as Chester Zoo to help cryopreserve semen from endangered species e.g. Rhino, Lion.  

Niamh graduated from the Royal Dick School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh in 2008 and started her career in Ireland. Niamh then spent several seasons between Australia, UK, USA and Saudi Arabia. Niamh completed a residency in Equine Reproduction at the University of Liverpool, during which time she set up the first commercial equine intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) centre in the UK in collaboration with Twemlows stud farm. The first ICSI foal was born in 2015.

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Niamh is a diplomate of both the American College of Theriogenologists and the European College of Animal Reproduction. Most recently Niamh completed a PhD entitled "A metabolic approach towards optimising equine in vitro maturation" which was a collaborative BBSRC funded project between the University of Liverpool, University of Manchester and Texas A&M University.

Steve has worked in the field of human clinical embryology for over 30 years starting in Manchester, where he completed a PhD in male infertility and the acrosome reaction. Before his recent role as the Scientific Director of IVI UK, Steve was the Scientific Director of Liverpool Women's Hospital’s Hewitt Fertility Centres, one of the UK’s largest providers of assisted conception. In addition to dealing with the many day-to-day ‘hands-on’, managerial and research responsibilities of a Consultant Clinical Embryologist, he is fortunate to have been afforded a broader perspective as a Scientific Inspector and advisor for the UK Regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. Steve has been very much involved in clinical embryology as a profession and is proud to be the current President of the UK’s Association of Clinical Embryologists (ACE). Steve is Visiting Reader in Reproductive Medicine at Edge Hill University, and as an Honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Liverpool, he supervised the development of the equine ICSI lab at the University’s Leahurst Campus. Steve now works independently as a Consultant Reproductive Scientist based in the UK.