Contact
Biography
Licences en Sciences Zoologiques, Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), PhD (Zoology), Université de Mons - Hainaut (Belgium), 1991. Post - Doctoral Scientist, University of Leicester (UK) 1991-1995. Scientist 1995-2003, Senior Scientist - Project Leader (2003 -2008) ''Improving Animal Genetics Resources Characterization, Utilisation and Conservation'' International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI, Nairobi Kenya) 1995-2003. Director of the Frozen Ark Project 2009-2010. Professor of Population and Conservation Genetics, University of Nottingham January 2009 - Present. Member of the International Society of Animal Genetics. Member of the editorial board of Animal Genetics (2003-2009) and the Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics (2003 - present).
Research Summary
The research group is focusing on the unraveling of the genetic polymorphisms controlling gene expression in eukaryotes. We use livestock species as a model and we studied both Mendelian traits and… read more
Current Research
The research group is focusing on the unraveling of the genetic polymorphisms controlling gene expression in eukaryotes. We use livestock species as a model and we studied both Mendelian traits and quantitative traits loci. Our model includes livestock population selected intensively by human (productivity traits and morphological traits) as well as indigenous population under natural selection (e.g. survival traits such as disease resistances). We use genome wide molecular approaches (e.g. sequencing and SNP typing) to detect signature of selection. A major element of our work is the understanding of the genetic history of our model species and livestock genetic resources characterization is an important component of the project.
Ongoing research activities include the mapping Mendelian traits in traditional chicken breeds (PhD project), the understanding of the evolutionary history of indigenous Arabian Peninsula camel Camelus dromedarius populations (PhD project), the mapping and unravelling of the genetic history of indigenous chicken in Africa and Asia, and the study of the genetic adaptation to infectious diseases in indigenous zebu cattle Bos indicus of western Kenya and chicken population of Ethiopia (PhD project).
Past Research
Until December 2007, I was based at the International Livestock Research leading their genetic program on indigenous livestock genetic characterization and conservation as well as their livestock genetic of disease resistance project (trypanosomiasis in cattle and helminthosis in small ruminants).
Future Research
It is expected that in the coming years the focus of the project will drift from a within populations and species perspectives to an across organism one. Our involvement with project such as the 10K genome project (www.genome10k.org) will be expected to provide scientific research opportunities to understand the genetic control of phenotypic traits through comparative genomic approaches across metazoa. Studied model organisms will include vertebrate as well as invertebrate species.
In parallel, we are welcoming collaboration in the field of livestock landscape genomics. Understanding the environmental factors which have shaped the genome of indigenous livestock may become a major research focus for the project.