Irene Breider

My research focuses on developing a plant breeding strategy to improve polygenic traits through the introgression of exotic alleles into elite breeding lines using genomic selection.

Goals: 

• Proof of concept of a multipart breeding strategy. 

• Improve yield and disease resistance in groundnuts. 

• Elevate groundnut breeding schemes towards genomic selection on a commercial scale. 

My PhD was with the University of Nottingham and SRUC in the UK, where I studied the genetic and genomic background of methane emission and feed efficiency in dairy cattle. I did my BSc and MSc at the Wageningen University in The Netherlands. During my MSc thesis, I investigated multiple ways of genotype imputation and using imputed genotypes in downstream estimation of breeding values in dairy cattle. 

My biggest research interest is the use of genetic and genomic data to evolve towards a more sustainable agricultural sector. 

I am specifically interested in:

Programming language and software:

I love being creative, making all kinds of things – from knitting to painting, to baking, and everything in between – and learning new skills (usually to make things). 

Next to this, it’s very important to me to spend time outside in nature with my family and our dog.