Jan ten Napel

Jan ten Napel is a Researcher at the Department of Animal Breeding & Genomics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wageningen University & Research. His work focuses on quantitative genetics and genomic selection methods applied to livestock improvement, with particular emphasis on cattle and goat populations.

Research interests include breeding value estimation, pedigree analysis, and optimizing genomic evaluation systems. Recent work explores breed-environment interactions, handling missing parent data in genetic evaluations, and Mendelian sampling variances in selection programs.

• Co-promotor of PhD projects on genomic breeding programs and preselection impacts
• Project leader for evaluations of tail length breeding and natural births in beef breeds
• Active in international collaborations through Interbull meetings and EAAP conferences

Key contributions address practical challenges in genomic evaluations, including incomplete data handling and breed-specific adaptation strategies. His work bridges theoretical genetic models with applied livestock breeding practices.