Name: Dr. Katie Barry, Ph.D.
Employer: Mars Petcare US 
Job Title: Health and Nutrition Scientist
Years with current employer: 1 year
Educational Background: Dr. Barry received her Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science with a concentration in Science, Biotechnology, and Veterinary Medicine, received her Master’s Degree in Animal Science with a focus in Comparative Animal Nutrition, and her Ph.D. in Animal Science with a focus in Companion Animal Nutrition.
Job Description: Dr.Barry conducts pet nutrition research, prepares technical nutrition documents, and teaches her fellow associates about pet nutrition. Each day can be a little different. Some days Dr. Barry may read about new nutrition techniques, other days she may visit her manufacturing sites to make diets for research, and other days she may think up new ideas for pet foods or help her colleagues understand more about pet nutrition
Favorite Component of Her Job: Dr. Katie Barry states, “I love working with pets, and my job allows me to help as many pets as I can through nutrition. Every dog and cat needs to eat to stay healthy, and my job takes both of these things into consideration. Each experience I have as a Health and Nutrition Scientist helps me to be a better nutritionist (and scientist!), so each challenge is an opportunity to learn something new."
A Special Experience or Story about Her Job: “I love talking about nutrition, which is one of the reasons I was chosen to go to the Westminster Dog Show this year. While I was there, I was able to see some of the top show dogs and talk with breeders about the dogs and what they feed. It was a really great experience for me to see so many different breeds of dogs. I also love getting to meet everyday owners and their dogs, too—I’ve been lucky enough to go to events close to the office, like the Nashville Dog Day Festival, to hand out samples of our foods and talk to people about their dogs. It’s really fun to hear how much people love our foods and help them find the best food for their dog!”
Dr. Barry’s Recommendations to Those Interested in a Career Similar to Her Own: “Make sure you love pets, and love school—there is a lot of it involved! You also have to like working with people, because you will work with many different people every day to be able to help feed so many pets.”
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