Simone Ceccobelli, PhD, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy
Dr Ceccobelli is a Scientist at the Università Politecnica delle Marche. He received his PhD at University of Padua (Italy). He continued his research at University of Perugia (Italy) as PostDoc working on many research projects focusing on the use of molecular tools applied to livestock breeding and biodiversity. He collaborated on a project aiming to study genes related to environmental stress tolerance in livestock. He is involved in research aimed at the genetic characterization of livestock species using SNPs. The area of expertise focuses on population and molecular genetics, with particular attention to the use of genomic tools to maintain genetic variability in conservation and selection programs.
Yahui Gao, PhD, South China Agricultural University, China
Dr Gao earned his PhD in Animal Genetics and Breeding from China Agricultural University in 2017. Following this, Dr Gao pursued postdoctoral research, spending a year at the Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics at Aarhus University (Denmark). Subsequently, he relocated to the USA, where he held a joint postdoctoral position at the Department of Animal & Avian Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park, and ARS-USDA. In 2023, Dr Gao joined the faculty of the Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding at South China Agricultural University as an Associate Professor. His primary research focus is on unraveling the genetic foundations of complex traits in livestock. This pursuit enables a better understanding of the underlying biology and a more accurate prediction of animal performance and disease risks.
Emiliano Lasagna, PhD, University of Perugia, Italy
Dr Lasagna is an Associate Professor in Animal Genetics and Breeding at the University of Perugia (Italy). His research activities are focused on animal breeding and the genetics of livestock animals. His work includes the utilization of molecular markers in animal breeding and their application to selection schemes. His research field encompasses the genetic characterization of Italian and European sheep breeds, as well as the investigation of the double muscling phenomenon (myostatin gene) in the Marchigiana beef cattle breed. Currently, he is engaged in studies examining the impact of specific SNPs on productive traits in Italian beef cattle breeds. In recent years, he has also initiated research on the genetic characterization of autochthonous chicken breeds using molecular markers. Additionally, he is collaborating on projects aimed at studying genes associated with environmental stress tolerance (including livestock density and high temperatures) and resistance to climate change.
Francesco Perini, PhD, Università degli studi di Padova, Italy
Dr Perini completed his PhD at the University of Perugia (Italy) and is currently conducting postdoctoral research at the University of Padua (Italy). His focus lies in the genomic characterization of animal biodiversity, specifically in local poultry genotypes. He employs Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatic approaches to identify genomic features associated with local breed phenotypes. Dr Perini collaborates on a project aimed at identifying genomic regions and genetic variants related to productive traits and environmental impact phenotypes in local beef cattle breeds. Additionally, he conducts RNA-seq analysis to study fatty acid metabolic pathways in local chicken breeds.
Elizabeth Ross, PhD, The University of Queensland, Australia
Dr Ross studied Animal Science at La Trobe University (Melbourne, Australia) before going on to complete a PhD where she developed the first ever application of microbiome predictions and applied them to identify low methane-producing animals. Since joining the University of Queensland in 2017 she has published over 40 peer-reviewed publications and secured over $6Mil in grant funding as lead investigator. She currently leads a team of postdocs and students who are applying cutting-edge biotechnology solutions to the problems that face agriculture today and into the future.
