Plenary Lecture: Matt Littlejohn - "Hairy, Slick, and Sweaty - Discovery of Novel Thermoregulatory Mutations in Cattle"
Senior Scientist - Sequencing, Research & Development, Livestock Improvement Corporation, NEW ZEALAND
Dr. Littlejohn is a mammalian geneticist focused on identifying the genetic determinants of major dairy traits. Matt has a background in human and bovine genetics, completing his PhD in pharmacogenetics at the University of Otago in 2007, and working on dairy cow genetics ever since.
Based at the Institute for Innovation in Biotechnology at the University of Auckland, Matt’s current role as a Senior Scientist at Livestock Improvement Corporation has involved the development and utilisation of very large-scale bovine DNA and RNA sequence datasets. Applications of these data include whole genome sequence imputation and association analysis, and integration of eQTL data to aid discovery of causal genes and mutations. These approaches have led to the discovery of novel mutations underpinning a variety of traits including milk composition, fertility, heat stress, and other dominant and recessive bovine syndromes.
Time: 9:00 AM-9:45 AM