Jack C M Dekkers

Dr. Jack C M Dekkers is a Distinguished Professor at Iowa State University's Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. His research focuses on quantitative genetics, genomics, and genetic improvement in livestock, particularly pigs and poultry. He leads projects on disease resilience, feed efficiency, and sustainable agricultural practices.

Education:

• PhD in Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison (1989)
• MS in Agricultural Sciences, Wageningen University (1985)
• BSc in Agricultural Sciences, Wageningen University (1982)

Research Interests: Dekkers' work integrates genomics, immunology, and quantitative methods to improve livestock productivity and health. Key areas include:

• Genetic selection for disease resistance
• Metabolic flexibility in livestock
• Genomic prediction models
• Sustainable pork and poultry production

Recent projects explore blood transcriptome analysis for disease resilience indicators and genomic tools to enhance chicken and pig resilience to Newcastle disease and PRRS virus.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Genomics to Improve Poultry and Iowa State's PigGen Canada initiative. His lab develops cutting-edge computational tools for genomic data analysis and secure collaborative research frameworks.