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.-
Open Institute of the African BioGenome Project: Bridging the gap in African biodiversity genomics and bioinformatics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/adwh4
Research output: › Preprint (E-pub ahead of print) -
Investigating volatile semiochemical production from Bos taurus and Bos indicus as a novel phenotype for breeding host resistance to ixodid ticks
(8 pages)
In:
Ticks and tick-borne diseases, vol. 14, pp. 1-8
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102200
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Fourth Report on Chicken Genes and Chromosomes 2022
In:
Cytogenetic and Genome Research
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1159/000529376
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Review article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Improving livestock genetics to enhance animal welfare and production for African smallholder farmers
In:
American Journal of Veterinary Research, vol. 84
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.22.11.0199
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Review article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Assessment of genotyping array performance for genome-wide association studies and imputation in African cattle
In:
Genetics Selection Evolution, vol. 54, pp. 1-23
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12711-022-00751-5
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
In search of a new tool for phenotyping tick resistance in cattle
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Poster (Published) -
A low-tech, cost-effective and efficient method for safeguarding genetic diversity by direct cryopreservation of poultry embryonic reproductive cells
In:
eLIFE, vol. 11
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.74036.sa0
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
From a documented past of the Jersey breed in Africa to a profit index linked future
In:
Frontiers in genetics, vol. 13
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2022.881445
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Multiple country and breed genomic prediction of tick resistance in beef cattle
In:
Frontiers in Immunology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.620847
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
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)