Suzanne Desire

My focus in the Highlander Lab is the development of a proof-of-concept computational pipeline for identifying causative genetic variants in commercial pigs. 

Goals:

• Compute and compare genome-wide associations (GWAS) with loin depth across four pure-bred pig populations of differing LD structure
• Evaluate the performance of various computational fine-mapping techniques to identify causal variants, and compare the results between populations.
• Employ expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis to identify genomic regions that influence the variation in gene expression, to elucidate the genetic control mechanisms underlying gene regulation

I studied for my PhD at SRUC in Edinburgh, focusing on the genetics of social aggression in pigs. My research has always involved collaboration with the livestock breeding industry, across a diverse range of projects, including the development of genetic models for novel traits in dairy goats, parentage verification in ducks, and identifying causative variants in pigs.

I am specifically interested in:

Programming language and software:

Outside of work and family life I enjoy gardening and interior design, and always have a book on the go.