Alfons Willam

Alfons Willam is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Livestock Sciences within the Department of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). With over 25 years of academic experience since becoming an Assistant Professor in 1998, he specializes in animal breeding and genetics across multiple livestock species including pigs, cattle, sheep, and honey bees. His work focuses on optimizing breeding programs, genetic parameter estimation, and incorporating animal welfare traits into selection objectives.

Dr. Willam's educational background includes a Diploma (1986) and Doctoral degree (1991) in agricultural sciences. His academic journey has been centered at BOKU, where he has developed expertise in quantitative genetics and breeding program design.

His primary research interests span animal breeding, livestock genetics, and the optimization of breeding programs for various species. Dr. Willam has made significant contributions to pig breeding, particularly in developing vitality indices and incorporating animal welfare traits into selection criteria. His work on cattle breeding focuses on genomic selection and long-term genetic progress for health traits. He has also conducted important research on honey bee breeding for Varroa mite resistance and sheep breeding programs in Austria. His research bridges theoretical breeding concepts with practical implementation in livestock production systems.

Analysis of Dr. Willam's recent publications reveals a strong trend toward integrating animal welfare considerations into traditional breeding objectives. His work increasingly focuses on practical implementation of breeding programs that balance productivity with welfare concerns, particularly in pig production. There's also significant emphasis on validating farmer-recorded traits and developing tools for practical breeding applications across multiple species.

• Reviewer for Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics
• Reviewer for Livestock Science
• Reviewer for Apidologie
• Chairman of Study Commission for Agricultural Sciences
• Extended member of BOKU Senat

As an advisor, Dr. Willam has supervised numerous Master's and doctoral theses on diverse topics including Varroa resistance in honey bees, sheep breeding optimization, and alpine grazing effects on dairy cows. His research has been supported by substantial funding from the Austrian Research Promotion Agency and Federal Ministries, with involvement in 18 research projects since 1993, many as project leader or co-leader. He has developed and promoted the use of ZPLAN, a flexible PC-tool for designing and optimizing livestock breeding programs, which has been presented in multiple international workshops.