Education

Undergraduate Education

B.S. in Biology, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, 2015

Graduate Education

M.S. in Animal Science (Reproductive Physiology Focus), University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, 2018

Ph.D. in Animal and Dairy Science (Developmental Programming Focus), Mississippi State University, 2021

Postdoctoral Training in Lactation Physiology, Mississippi State University, 2023

Professional Biography

Dr. Zully Contreras‑Correa is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science at Tarleton State University. Her research program centers on reproductive physiology, developmental programming, and stress resilience in livestock. She has a particular interest in how maternal environments such as nutrition and heat stress impact fetal development and long-term animal productivity. Her lab is also interested in studying cattle and small ruminant heat stress adaptation and evaluating mitigation strategies. Prior to joining Tarleton, Dr. Contreras earned her Ph.D. at Mississippi State University, where she focused on fetal-maternal placental interactions in nutrient restricted beef cattle. She later completed postdoctoral training in lactation physiology, studying mammary gland hemodynamics and transcriptomics in heat-tolerant slick Holsteins. Dr. Contreras teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in genetics, animal endocrinology, research and writing, and reproductive biology. She is actively involved mentoring undergraduate and graduate students on research evaluating molecular and physiological responses to environmental stressors. Her students receive training in animal handling, Doppler ultrasonography, gene expression, immunohistochemistry, and ELISA’s among other laboratory techniques. 

Scholarly Works