AGIL news
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Nayan Bhowmik joins AGIL research staff |
Dr. Nayan Bhowmik joined AGIL as a Research Computation Biologist (Postdoctoral Research Associate) on May 19, 2024. He is working under the guidance of Dr. George Liu, a Research Biologist at AGIL, USDA, Beltsville. With a rich background in beef cattle and dog genomics research, he brings valuable skills to our team. His expertise includes genetic analyses, candidate gene association analysis, genetic variant identification using GWAS, selective sweep analysis and whole-genome sequence data analysis, and RNA-seq differential gene expression analyses.
Dr. Bhowmik, originally from Bangladesh, brings a unique perspective to our team. His upbringing in a rural area, where small-scale dairy farming is common, has given him a deep understanding of agricultural practices. He holds a bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine and a master’s in genetics and animal breeding from Sylhet Agricultural University, Bangladesh. His Ph.D. research focused on the genetic distinctness and diversity of American Aberdeen cattle and the impact of leptin genes and protein on the performance of forage-fed commercial beef cows. In 2021, he joined the Canine Genetics Lab at Purdue University as a postdoctoral research associate, where he used SNP array, whole-genome sequence, and RNA-seq data to identify the genetic basis of Mendelian and complex traits and diseases in canine populations.
Dr. Bhowmik is excited about the opportunities that working with multi-omics data brings. He believes this approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of molecular changes contributing to phenotype expression. His ultimate career goal is to improve animal genetics for economically important traits for sustainable animal production and agriculture.
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Clarissa Boschiero joins AGIL research staff |
Dr. Clarissa Boschiero joined AGIL as a Research Biologist Computational (Research Associate) on April 11, 2021. She has experience with animal and plant genomics research, and her scientific focus areas include bioinformatics, high-throughput data analysis, functional genomics, development of genomic tools and databases, and study of genetic variants.
Dr. Boschiero earned her Ph.D. in Animal Science in Brazil at the São Paulo State University in 2009. Her Ph.D. dissertation was focused on the investigation of molecular markers associated with traits of economic interest in chickens. In 2011, she was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, where she identified genetic variants in poultry and collaborated in the development of the first commercial SNP chip for chickens. In 2013, she returned to Brazil to work as a young researcher at the University of São Paulo in a project to identify genetic variants and selection signature regions in chickens. Later, in 2016, she joined the Noble Research Institute in Ardmore, OK, as a Postdoctoral Fellow to identify small secreted peptides in legumes and develop a genomic database of small proteins in plants.
As a computational biologist, Dr. Boschiero believes that the high volume of available omics data makes it crucial to analyze genomic data efficiently and to integrate such multidimensional data for a better understanding of gene functions and the impact of genetic variants. Her main goal is to generate innovative discoveries from the interpretation of genomics data and make multiomics data accessible to researchers using bioinformatics tools and thus to improve the productivity and sustainability of animal production and agriculture.
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Asha Miles joins AGIL research staff |
Dr. Asha Miles joined AGIL as a Research Geneticist on March 1, 2021. Her research and academic background spans biotechnology, molecular genetics, immunology, epidemiology, and microbiome science. Her goals as a researcher are to apply those skills in an integrated approach to understand animal health and production and to translate those findings into innovative interventions which can be applied on farm.
Dr. Miles grew up in rural California, and her passion for agriculture sprouted when she joined 4-H in high school. She attended the University of California at Davis and earned her B.S. in Biotechnology in 2012 and M.S. in Animal Biology in 2015. She then enrolled in Cornell’s Animal Science doctoral program and earned her Ph.D. in 2019. Her Ph.D. dissertation implemented a multipronged approach to understand the genetics underlying dairy cattle mastitis, considering factors like udder and teat morphology, immune response, and mammary microbiota as important contributors to disease development. Since January 2020, Dr. Miles held a Postdoctoral Associate position at Pennsylvania State University exploring the role of the microbiome in food animal health and disease.
As a biotechnologist, Dr. Miles believes the technological augmentation of agriculture is a critical tool. As an academic, she believes progressive change always begins with education. As a humanitarian, she believes that technology and education can only have meaning if brought to people who need them in an accessible manner. Her career goals are ultimately in service of those 3 ideals.
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Joint Israeli-U.S. team recognized by Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund |
In September 2020, the U.S.-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development (BARD) Fund recognized the case study “Genetic Improvement of Economic Traits in Dairy Cattle,” which included 6 joint research projects between 1985 and 2018, for its outstanding scientific achievement and excellence. Investigators included Paul VanRaden and George Wiggans (USDA–ARS, Beltsville, MD) as well as Joel Weller (lead scientist) and Micha Ron (Agricultural Research Organization, Bet Dagan, Israel), Harris Lewin and Daniel Gianola (University of Illinois), and Ignacy Misztal (University of Georgia). As part of BARD’s 40-year research impact assessment, this research was selected as one of the top 3 most successful and economically impactful projects among 1,330 projects. The exceptional outcomes were stellar scientific breakthroughs for research and a perspective on the future of genomic marker-based selection in cattle breeding selection schemes for improved milk production efficiency. An economic evaluation concluded that the net present benefit of BARD’s $1.67 million investment in this research project was estimated to be $1.135 billion (benefits of $534 million to the United States, $2 million to Israel, and $599 million to other countries) for a 264:1 return on investment. The letter of recognition, full case study, and BARD’s 40-year research review are available online.
U.S. genetic evaluations for dairy cattle
Recent news on U.S. genetic and genomic evaluations for dairy cattle can be found at the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding's website: https://www.uscdcb.com/news/.
Awards (2014–present)
2024
Arthur B. Chapman Lecturer in Animal Breeding and Genetics
Dr. Paul VanRaden was recognized as a leading scholar in the field of animal breeding and genetics, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange among researchers worldwide.
2022
American Dairy Science Association's Jay L. Lush Award
Dr. George Liu was recognized for outstanding research in animal breeding with genomics research to improve the health and production of cattle and small ruminants.
2021
Journal of Dairy Science Top 100 in 2021
Drs. John B. Cole and Paul VanRaden were recognized as authors of "Symposium review: Possibilities in an age of genomics: The future of selection indices" and "Symposium review: Genetics, genome-wide association study, and genetic improvement of dairy fertility traits," which were 2 of the top 100 most highly cited articles published from 2018 and later.
2020
Stanford University's World's Top 2% of Scientists
Drs. Paul M. VanRaden, George R. Wiggans (retired), Ransom L. Baldwin, John B. Cole, and Curtis P. Van Tassell were recognized as researchers who represent the top 2% of the most of the most-cited scientists (2019 and career citations) in various disciplines.
Clarivate Analytics' Highly Cited Researcher 2020
Dr. Paul M. VanRaden and Dr. George R. Wiggans (retired) were included on Clarivate Analytics' highly cited researchers list; this honor was given to authors who ranked in the top 1% for total citations for articles published from 2009 through 2019 in the field of agricultural sciences or across fields.
ARS Science Hall of Fame
Dr. Paul M. VanRaden was inducted into the ARS Science Hall of Fame for development and implementation of genomic prediction methodology that revolutionized animal breeding and advanced genetic progress for economically important traits of animals and plants worldwide.
National Association of Animal Breeders' Research Award
Dr. John B. Cole was recognized for his significant contribution to the furtherance of the artificial-insemination industry during the last 5 years.
American Dairy Science Association's JDS Club 100
Dr. Paul M. VanRaden was recognized as a member of JDS Club 100, which includes individuals who have authored or coauthored 100 or more papers in the Journal of Dairy Science.
Journal of Dairy Science Top 100 in 2020
Dr. John B. Cole was recognized as a coauthor of "Invited Review: Genetics and Claw Health: Opportunities to Enhance Claw Health by Genetic Selection," which was one of the top 100 most highly cited articles published from 2017 and later.
Journal of Dairy Science Editor's Choice Article of the Month
Jana L. Hutchsion, Dr. John B. Cole, Gary C. Fok, and Dr. Paul M. VanRaden were recognized as coauthors of "Investigating conception rate for beef service sires bred to dairy cows and heifers," which was selected as a featured article for the November issue, Production: Genetics and Genomics section.
2019
Clarivate Analytics' Highly Cited Researcher 2019
Dr. Curtis P. Van Tassell, Dr. Paul M. VanRaden, and Dr. George R. Wiggans (retired) were included on Clarivate Analytics' highly cited researchers list; this honor was given to authors who ranked in the top 1% for total citations for articles published from 2008 through 2018 in the field of agricultural sciences or across fields.
American Dairy Science Association's Zinpro Award for Excellence in Dairy Science
Dr. Paul M. VanRaden was recognized for outstanding research in dairy production contributing to improvement or dairy cattle and development and improvement of processes, products, equipment, methods, handling, and sanitation.
Journal of Dairy Science Editor's Choice Article of the Month
- Dr. John B. Cole was recognized as a coauthor of "Comparison of gene editing versus conventional breeding to introgress the POLLED allele into the US dairy cattle population," which was selected as a featured article for the May issue, Production: Genetics and Genomics section.
- Dr. John B. Cole and Dr. Paul M. VanRaden were recognized as coauthors of "Variance of gametic diversity and its application in selection programs," which was selected as a featured article for the June issue: Production: Genetics and Genomics section.
- Daniel J. Null, Jana L. Hutchsion, Dr. Paul M. VanRaden, and Dr. John B. Cole were recognized as coauthors of "High-density genome-wide association study for residual feed intake in Holstein dairy cattle," which was selected as a featured article for the December issue, Production: Genetics and Genomics section.
2018
Clarivate Analytics' Highly Cited Researcher 2018
Dr. Paul M. VanRaden, Dr. George R. Wiggans (retired), and Dr. Tad S. Sonstegard (former AGIL research scientist) were included on Clarivate Analytics' highly cited researchers list; this honor was given to authors who ranked in the top 1% for total citations for articles published from 2006 through 2016 in the field of agricultural sciences or across fields.
National Dairy Herd Information Association Outstanding Service Award
Dr. John B. Cole was honored for his outstanding, unselfish service, leadership, and guidance in advancing genetics and management research to benefit dairy herds worldwide.
American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists, Washington DC Chapter, Dr. Vernon G. Pursel Memorial Distinguished Service Award
Dr. Paul M. VanRaden was recognized for distinguished service to the animal sciences and for professional character and career accomplishments that serve as a model for professional animal scientists.
2017
Clarivate Analytics' Highly Cited Researcher 2017
Dr. Paul M. VanRaden and Dr. George R. Wiggans (retired) were included on Clarivate Analytics' highly cited researchers list; this honor was given to authors who ranked in the top 1% for total citations for articles published from 2005 through 2015 in the field of agricultural sciences.
American Dairy Science Association's JDS Club 100
Dr. Robert H. Miller (retired), Dr. H. Duane Norman (retired), and Dr. George R. Wiggans (retired) were recognized as inaugural members of JDS Club 100, which includes individuals who have authored or coauthored 100 or more papers in the Journal of Dairy Science.
Journal of Dairy Science Editor's Choice Article of the Month
- Daniel J. Null and Dr. John B. Cole were recognized as coauthors of "Evaluation of genetic components in traits related to superovulation, in vitro fertilization, and embryo transfer in Holstein cattle," which was selected as a featured article for the April issue, Production: Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics section.
- Dr. John B. Cole and Daniel J. Null were recognized as coauthors of "Association of single nucleotide polymorphisms in candidate genes previously related to genetic variation in fertility with phenotypic measurements of reproductive function in Holstein cows," which was selected as a featured article for the May issue: Production: Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics section.
- Dr. John B. Cole was recognized as a coauthor of "Economic considerations of breeding for polled dairy cows versus dehorning in the United States," which was selected as a featured article for the June issue, Production: Management and Economics section.
2016
Thomson Reuters/Clarivate Analytics' Highly Cited Researcher 2016
Dr. Paul M. VanRaden and Dr. George R. Wiggans (retired) were included on Thomson Reuters'/Clarivate Analytics' highly cited researchers list; this honor was given to authors who ranked in the top 1% for total citations for articles published from 2004 through 2014 in the field of agricultural sciences.
American Dairy Science Association's Fellow Award
Dr. Curtis P. Van Tassell was recognized as a Production Division member who had rendered distinguished service to the dairy industry for over 20 years.
American Dairy Science Association's Most Cited Award in Genetics and Breeding
Dr. Paul M. VanRaden was recognized as the senior author of "Genomic imputation and evaluation using high-density Holstein genotypes," which was published in the Journal of Dairy Science in 2013 and has significantly impacted research and the dairy industry; Daniel J. Null, Dr. George R. Wiggans, Melvin E. Tooker, Dr. John B. Cole, Dr. Tad S. Sonstegard, and Dr. Erin E. Connor were AGIL coauthors.
Journal of Dairy Science Editor's Choice Article of the Month
- Dr. Tad S. Sonstegard, Dr. Paul M. VanRaden, Daniel J. Null, and Dr. Curtis P. Van Tassell were recognized as coauthors of "Identification of a nonsense mutation in APAF1 that is likely causal for a decrease in reproductive efficiency in Holstein dairy cattle," which was selected as a featured article for the August issue, Production: Physiology section.
- Dr. John B. Cole was recognized as senior author of "Phenotypic and genetic effects of recessive haplotypes on yield, longevity, and fertility," which was selected as a featured article for the September issue: Production: Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics section; Daniel J. Null and Dr. Paul M. VanRaden were AGIL coauthors.
- Dr. John B. Cole was recognized as a coauthor of "Stochastic dynamic simulation modeling including multitrait genetics to estimate genetic, technical, and financial consequences of dairy farm reproduction and selection strategies," which was selected as a featured article for the October issue, Production: Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics section.
2015
Thomson Reuters' The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2015
Dr. Paul M. VanRaden and Dr. George R. Wiggans were listed as one of the "World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2015" in Agricultural Sciences and were included on Thomson Reuters' highly cited researchers list; this honor was given to authors who ranked in the top 1% for total citations for articles published from 2003 through 2013 in the field of agricultural sciences.
American Dairy Science Association's Jay L. Lush Award
Dr. John B. Cole was recognized for outstanding research in animal breeding with the potential for improvement of dairy cattle.
Journal of Dairy Science Editor's Choice Article of the Month
Dr. George R. Wiggans was recognized as the senior author of "Technical note: Rapid calculation of genomic evaluations for new animals," which was selected as a featured article for the March issue, Genetics and Breeding section; Dr. Paul M. VanRaden and Tabatha A. Cooper were AGIL coauthors.
Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding Award of Recognition
The staff of the Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory received a plaque from the board of directors of the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding in recognition of their international leadership in the development of genomic predictions for dairy cattle: "Your sustained dedication has improved the lives of U.S. farm families and consumers significantly."
American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists, Washington DC Chapter, Dr. Vernon G. Pursel Memorial Distinguished Service Award
Dr. George R. Wiggans was recognized for distinguished service to the animal sciences and for professional character and career accomplishments that serve as a model for professional animal scientists.
USDA-ARS 26th Annual Beltsville Poster Day Competition, 1st place
Dr. Yang Zhou, a Visiting Scientist from the College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, China, was recognized for the poster presentation "Genome wide CNV analysis reveals variants associated with growth traits in Bos indicus."
2014
Thomson Reuters' The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2014
Dr. Paul M. VanRaden was listed as one of the "World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2014" in Agricultural Sciences and was included on Thomson Reuters' highly cited researchers list; this honor was given to authors who ranked in the top 1% for total citations for articles published from 2002 through 2012 in the field of agricultural sciences.
World Dairy Expo Industry Person of the Year
Dr. Curtis P. Van Tassell was recognized for excellence in research that supports the dairy industry.
American Dairy Science Association's Most Cited Award in Genetics and Breeding
Dr. George R. Wiggans was recognized as the senior author of The genomic evaluation system in the United States: Past, present, future," which was published in the Journal of Dairy Science in 2011 and has significantly impacted research and the dairy industry; Dr. Paul M. VanRaden and Tabatha A. Cooper were AGIL coauthors.
National Association of Animal Breeders' Research Award
Dr. Curtis P. Van Tassell was recognized for his significant contribution to the furtherance of the artificial-insemination industry during the last 5 years.
Journal of Dairy Science Editor's Choice Article of the Month
- Dr. John B. Cole was recognized as the senior author of "A genome-wide association study of calf birth weight in Holstein cattle using single nucleotide polymorphisms and phenotypes predicted from auxiliary traits," which was selected as the featured article for the May issue, Genetics and Breeding section; Dr. Derek M. Bickhart was an AGIL coauthor.
- Dr. John B. Cole was recognized as a coauthor of "Development of a Lifetime Merit-based selection index for US dairy grazing systems," which was selected as the featured article for the July issue, Our Industry Today section.
- Dr. Paul M. VanRaden was recognized as the senior author of "Comparison of single-trait to multi-trait national evaluations for yield, health, and fertility," which was selected as the featured article for the December issue, Genetics and Breeding section; Melvin E. Tooker, Janice R. Wright, and Jana L. Hutchsion were AGIL coauthors.
University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences' High Impact Research Publication
Dr. John B. Cole was recognized as a coauthor of the high-impact scientific journal article "Discovery of single nucleotide polymorphisms in candidate genes associated with fertility and production traits in Holstein cattle," which was published in BMC Genetics in 2013; Daniel J. Null was an AGIL coauthor.
A complete list of awards related to discovery and development of improved methods for genetic and genomic evaluation of economically important traits of dairy animals (project 8042-31000-002-00-D) is available at the AIP Awards webpage.
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