February 13: Do the Tasmanians have to be concerned about inbreeding?

Sonja Dominik, research scientist, CSIRO, Australia, will give a talk on Friday February 13 at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) campus entitled: Do the Tasmanians have to be concerned about inbreeding? Breeding programs in aquaculture species in Tasmania, Australia.
Time: 13.00 - 14.00
Place: Meeting room, second floor, Dept. of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences (IHA), UMB

I completed my undergraduate degree at the Justus-Liebig University in Giessen, Germany.  My honours these looked at the influence of social ranking in groups of bulls on their feed intake, which required extended periods of animal observation, and changed my ambition from animal behaviour to animal breeding. I graduated from the University of New England, Armidale, with a PhD in Animal Genetics and Breeding.  During my PhD, I investigated issues of genotype x environment interaction in sheep.  In order to gain a better understanding of industry structures, I took up a position with the Sheep Industries Development Centre in South Australia as a Sheep industries consultant.  In 2002, I commenced a post-doc position with CSIRO in Armidale, where my main responsibility was the work on the CSIRO Gene Mapping flock.  Since then I gained employment as a research scientist in quantitative molecular genetics in 2005. Areas of research have included the design of breeding programs for aquaculture species (Abalone, Pacific oysters and Atlantic Salmon), theoretical development of breeding programs in sheep incorporating molecular markers, analysis of QTL mapping experiments in sheep for wool, internal and external parasites, skin traits and animal behaviour.  With the development of the SNP technology in animal breeding I have become involved in the use of SNP information in breeding program in sheep and salmon.