Dr Ivan Pocrnic, Dr J Prendergast, Dr Christina Rochus  Friday, January 17, 2025  Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

In contemporary livestock breeding, quantitative genetics models are used to select breeding animals to enhance productivity, reproduction and health. These models, that aim to predict an animal’s future phenotypes from just their genotypes, allow for biological discovery by delving into the genetic architecture of the traits via various analyses, e.g., genome-wide association studies (GWAS). With the advent of next-generation sequencing and imputation techniques, large amounts of whole-genome sequences have been tested in these models but have yielded only modest gains in phenotype prediction accuracy. One of the reasons is likely their oversimplification of trying to predict phenotypes solely from genome-wide genotypes, ignoring the complexity of molecular biology, and the mechanisms by which information flows from DNA to RNA to protein.

In this PhD project, the student will develop a holistic data-driven approach by integrating multi-omic data to bridge the gap between genotypes and complex phenotypes. The student will harness one of the most extensive multi-omic pig datasets currently available to improve the discovery of biologically relevant genes and the prediction accuracy of complex, especially hard-to-measure traits. 

The student will i) investigate the heritability of pig metabolomic features, ii) develop a pipeline for transitioning from traditional genomic prediction models to advanced models while incorporating multi-omic data, iii) evaluate how integrating genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics data enhances the accuracy of genomic prediction and biological discovery. 

We offer a supportive environment with a well-rounded training program covering specialised scientific skills and valuable professional competencies. The student will particularly benefit from interaction with a large international pig breeding company. We offer extensive training in data-driven animal breeding, quantitative and population genetics, genomics, and statistics. We welcome candidates with strong quantitative and computational abilities and an interest in pig omics. Holding an MSc in animal breeding, quantitative genetics, bioinformatics, or a related field is beneficial.

Further information about this project should be sought by emailing the lead supervisor ivan.pocrnic@roslin.ed.ac.uk

This 4 year PhD project is part of a competition funded by EASTBIO BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP). Detailed guidance on the application process, and the EASTBIO Application and Reference Forms can be found at How to Apply | Biology.

Please send your completed EASTBIO Application Form along with a copy of your academic transcripts (as a pdf) to RDSVS.Studentship.Applications@ed.ac.uk. You should also contact your referees and ask them to submit their references (on the EASTBIO reference form template) to RDSVS.Studentship.Applications@ed.ac.uk by the application deadline of 17th January 2025.