Originally from Brazil, Vitor R. G. Mercadante comes from a family with a strong agricultural history. Dr. Mercadante has a DVM from São Paulo State University, and a MS and PhD degrees from the University of Florida, with an emphasis in strategies to improve fertility and reproductive efficiency of beef females. He joined Virginia Tech in the spring of 2016 as an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist of Beef Production Systems Management in the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences. He is also an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Large Animal Clinical Sciences. His research and extension program focus on bovine reproductive physiology, early embryonic development, reproductive bio-technologies, and management strategies to improve reproductive efficiency. He has secured over $1.9 million in research grants, published 36 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 94 scientific abstracts, 2 book chapters and 56 extension articles and proceedings.