Research

I work in the field of avian genomics, and my focus is on ‘resilience’ in birds – whether that be through disease resistance or adaptation to environmental stress.

One of my prime interests is in investigating the host response to avian viral infections, increasing the understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying resistance, particularly with regard to Marek’s Disease Virus (MDV) and avian flu (AI). Projects are also ongoing where we use wild birds as a model to study seasonality and environmental adaptation. 

I also work as part of the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH), which is a collaboration between The Roslin Institute, SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) and ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute) in Africa. This work aims to improve backyard poultry production in sub-Saharan Africa by investigating the genetics of traits related to environmental adaptation and resilience. I am a member of several research consortia including Chicken GTEX and the Global Chicken Diversity Consortium.

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