Gertje Petersen grew up on a sheep, beef and horse breeding farm in northern Germany, and decided early on in life to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. While finishing up vet school at the Free University Berlin, she realized that there is a need for flexible multidisciplinary animal scientists who can translate academic research into application in agriculture and agribusiness. To gain an insight into this space, Gertje joined New Zealand agricultural consulting firm AbacusBio in 2013, eventually embarking on a genetics Ph.D. with AbacusBio and the University of Otago in 2015. During her Ph.D., Gertje worked on commercial honeybee breeding schemes, a project which grew into a close working relationship with the New Zealand beekeeping industry. Today, Gertje works as an animal breeding consultant with a focus on unusual livestock species such as bees and other insects.