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Evelyn Weaver

Assistant Professor, Avian Science and Health

Dr. Evelyn Anne Weaver joined Virginia Tech’s School of Animal Sciences as an assistant professor in 2026. Her research focuses on poultry reproductive physiology and functional genomics, with an emphasis on ovarian dysfunction in broiler breeder hens and the genetic basis of resistance to avian influenza. She uses transcriptomic, single-cell sequencing, gene-editing, and other molecular approaches to better understand reproductive health and disease resilience in poultry.

Weaver earned her Ph.D. in animal science from Penn State in 2023 after completing her B.S. in animal science at Texas A&M University. As a USDA-NIFA-AFRI Postdoctoral Fellow at Penn State, she used CRISPR screening and single-cell sequencing to investigate genetic factors associated with avian influenza resistance. Her doctoral and postdoctoral work has received more than $340,000 in USDA fellowship support, and she has published eight peer-reviewed articles and presented her research at national and international scientific meetings.

Along with her research, Weaver brings experience in teaching, student mentoring, and science outreach. She has taught and mentored students across poultry science, reproductive physiology, and functional genomics and has been involved in outreach to K-12 and prospective students. At Virginia Tech, she looks forward to building collaborations, training students, and advancing research that supports poultry health and production. Outside the lab, she enjoys hiking with her dogs, tending to her plant collection, and crocheting.

Dr. Weaver's research program focuses on understanding how perturbations in energy metabolism affect reproductive function in broiler breeder chickens. By integrating classical molecular biology and physiology with emerging approaches, including multi-omics, CRISPR-based technologies, and organoid models, her lab aims to identify and functionally characterize the molecular pathways linking metabolism and reproduction. Ultimately, her research seeks to translate these mechanistic insights into strategies that improve reproductive efficiency, health, and sustainability in poultry production.

  • Ph.D,  Animal Science, May 2023
    The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA  
  • B.S., Animal Science, May 2017

    Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
  • A.S., May 2014
    Collin College, Frisco, TX

  • Certificate of Excellence for Oral Presentation in Physiology and Reproduction. Annual Poultry Science Association conference. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 2019 
  • Deans Honor Roll. Texas A&M University. Fall 2014 and Spring 2017. 
  • Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society of Agriculture. April 2015. 
  • Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. February 2015.

 

Grants & Fellowships

  • USDA-NIFA-AFRI Postdoctoral Fellowship for proposal titled “Functional identification of avian influenza resistance host factors through genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 knockout screening in chickens”. June 2023- May 2026. $225,000.
  • USDA-NIFA-AFRI Predoctoral Fellowship for proposal titled “The role of increased visceral adiposity in the development of lipotoxicity and ovarian dysfunction in the broiler breeder hen”. January 2022-December 2023. $119,731.
  • NIH T32 Training Grant Fellowship - Physiological Adaptations to Stress. Penn State University. July 2019- July 2021.
  • Fund for Excellence in Graduate Recruitment Scholarship. Penn State University. 2017-2018               
  • Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Scholarship. Texas A&M University. 2014-2017.

 

Teaching & Mentoring

Teaching Assistant, The Pennsylvania State University

  • ANSC 500- Current Issues in Animal Science
    (Guest Lecture - Spring 2025)
  • ANSC 311- Poultry Production and Management
    (Guest Lecture - Fall 2021)
  • ANSC 431- Physiology of Reproduction Lab
    (Fall 2021, Fall 2022 and Fall 2023)
  • ANSC 431- Physiology of Reproduction
    (Guest Lecture - Fall 2022)

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, Texas A&M University

  • ANSC 433 Honors- Reproduction in Farm Animals Lab (Fall 2016)

Mentoring - 2 Ph.D. student’s, 2 master’s students and 6 undergraduate students

  • Postdoctoral Scholar, Penn State University. May 2023- July 2023.
  • USDA Postdoctoral Fellow, Penn State University. June 2023- May 2023.
  • Graduate Research Assistant, Penn State University. August 2017- May 2023.
  • Undergraduate Research Assistant, Texas A&M University. May 2016- May 2017.
  • Undergraduate Research Assistant, Texas A&M University. January 2015- May 2017.

  • International Society for Animal Genetics: 2025 - Present
  • Society for the Study of Reproduction: 2017 - Present
  • Poultry Science Association: 2018 - Present
  • Endocrine Society: 2021 - 2023

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