Professor Appolinaire Djikeng
Director - Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health
Contact details
Address
- Street
-
The Roslin Institute
Easter Bush Campus
Midlothian - City
- Post code
- EH25 9RG
Availability
Willingness to take Ph.D. students: Yes
Livestock comparative genomics Small ruminants comparative and functional genomics Small ruminants metagenomics
Background
I have close to 20 years’ experience leading multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional and global research and development programs focusing on agricultural development and human health.
Between 1999 and 2009, I conducted research at Yale University and the J. Craig Venter Institute focusing on infectious diseases, regulation of gene expression, mechanism of RNA interference, functional genomics of African trypanosomes (as key pathogens of humans and livestock animals), infectious and zoonotic diseases, technology development for multiplex viral genome sequencing and metagenomics. From 2009 to March 2017, based in Nairobi-Kenya, in my roles first as Deputy and then as Director of Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA), I built research and support teams, mobilized resources, developed innovative partnerships (with donors, research institutions, universities and national programs in LMICs) to establish and operate a leading biosciences research for development program currently operating as a key contributor to agricultural development and food safety in African. While at BecA, my research interests included livestock genetics, diversity assessment to support breeding/selections programs, animal health
From April 2017, I moved to the University of Edinburgh with appointments as i) Director of the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, and ii) Professor and Chair for Tropical Agriculture and Sustainable Development.
Qualifications
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Brunel Univ, Brunel University The genome of Trypanosoma brucei
Responsibilities & affiliations
Director, Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH)
Chair of Tropical Agriculture and Sustainable Development
Collaborative Activity
Current activities of the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health are conducted in collaboration with:
- Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), Scotland
- Rothamsted Research and Global Farm Platform, UK
- The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya
- Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA), Nairobi, Kenya
- Agricultural Research Council (ARC), South Africa
- University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
Research summary
- Livestock comparative genomics, functional genomics and metagenomics.
- Tropical livestock adaptation, resilience and productivity
- Tropical agriculture and sustainable development
Current research interests
My research group is under development and will be established both in the Edinburgh and Nairobi (Kenya) nodes of the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH). Research in my group will primarily focus on comparative genomics, functional genomics and metagenomcs with the following objectives: - development of tools and solutions for use to improve tropical livestock productivity and resilience - characterization and conservation of tropical livestock genetic diversity Other activities in my group include the development of new opportunities to harness livestock in low and middle incomes countries (LMICs) as a driver for agricultural development and a major contributor to sustainable development. Research Groups My research group is under development and will be established both in the Edinburgh and Nairobi (Kenya) nodes of the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH). Research in my group will primarily focus on comparative genomics, functional genomics and metagenomcs with the following objectives: - development of tools and solutions for use to improve tropical livestock productivity and resilience - characterization and conservation of tropical livestock genetic diversity Other activities in my group include the development of new opportunities to harness livestock in low and middle incomes countries (LMICs) as a driver for agricultural development and a major contributor to sustainable development.-
Whole-genome sequence data suggests environmental adaptation of Ethiopian sheep populations
In:
Genome Biology and Evolution
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evab014
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Whole genome analysis of water buffalo and global cattle breeds highlights convergent signatures of domestication
(13 pages)
In:
Nature Communications, vol. 11
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18550-1
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Comprehensive transcriptome of the maize stalk borer, Busseola fusca, from multiple tissue types, developmental stages, and parasitoid wasp exposures
In:
Genome Biology and Evolution
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaa195
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Ethiopian indigenous goats offer insights into past and recent demographic dynamics and localadaptation in sub-Saharan African goats
In:
Evolutionary Applications
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13118
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Brachiaria (syn. Urochloa) Ecotypes from Uganda
In:
Agronomy
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10081193
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Comparative transcriptomics of the bovine apicomplexan parasite Theileria parva developmental stages reveals massive gene expression variation and potential vaccine antigens
In:
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00287
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Bioengineering horizon scan 2020
In:
eLIFE, vol. 9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.54489
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Analysis of the Role of TpUB05 Antigen from Theileria parva in Immune Responses to Malaria in Humans Compared to Its Homologue in Plasmodium falciparum the UB05 Antigen
In:
Pathogens
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9040271
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
First detection of Theileria parva in cattle from Cameroon in the absence of the main tick vector Rhipicephalus appendiculatus
(11 pages)
In:
Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, vol. 67, pp. 68-78
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.13425
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Genetic and antigenic variation of the bovine tick-borne pathogen Theileria parva in the Great Lakes region of Central Africa
In:
Parasites and Vectors, vol. 12
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-019-3848-2
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)