Dr Jessica P Rickard earned her PhD in 2014 and then undertook a number of post-doctoral research positions at the University of Sydney. She is currently the McCaughey Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sydney and is leading a research program investigating factors affecting the success of artificial insemination within the Australian sheep industry. She is also continuing the work of her PhD, which focused on the role of ram seminal plasma, using a combined transcriptomic and proteomic approach to identify molecular sperm traits responsible for improved sperm survival and fertility in the ovine cervix. She has worked on a wide variety of projects related to applied artificial reproductive technologies in sheep, such as the commercialization of sexed ram semen, the effect of heat stress on the Merino ewe, the use of transrectal ultrasound to assess early embryo loss, the role of Melatonin in advancing the ram breeding season, the use of on-animal sensors to assess ram mating behavior and factors affecting the survival of liquid stored ram spermatozoa.