A joint course with the CUSO Doctoral Program in Ecology & Evolution

Organisers:

• Prof. Jérôme Goudet, University of Lausanne (CH) & Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics
• Prof. Bruce Weir, University of Washington (USA)

Venue: University of Lausanne

Quantitative Genetics is the analysis of complex characters where both genetic and environment factors contribute to trait variation.

Since this includes most traits of interest, such as disease susceptibility, crop yield, growth and reproduction in animals, human and animal behavior, and all gene expression data (transcriptome and proteome), a working knowledge of quantitative genetics is critical in diverse fields from plant and animal breeding, human genetics, genomics, behavior, to ecology and evolutionary biology. 

The course will cover the basics of quantitative genetics including: genetic basis for complex traits, population genetic assumptions including detection of admixture, Fisher’s variance decomposition, covariance between relatives, calculation of the numerator relationship matrix based on IBD alleles and an arbitrary pedigree, the genomic relationship matrix based on AIS alleles, heritability in the broad and narrow sense, inbreeding and crossbreeding, and response to selection.

Also an introduction to advanced topics such as: Mixed Models, Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP), Genomic selection (GBLUP), Genome Wide Association Analysis (GWAS), QTL mapping, detection of selection from genomic data, correlated characters; and the multivariate response to selection.

Background reading: Lynch, M. and B. Walsh. 1998. Genetics and analysis of quantitative traits. Sinauer Associates.

• Prof. Bruce Walsh, University of Arizona (USA)
• Prof. Guilherme J. M. Rosa, University of Wisconsin (USA)

Date: 11-12 September (all days) 13 September (morning) & (2,5 days)

Schedule: 9.00-12.00 and 13.30-17.30

Venue:  University of Lausanne, room to be announced

ECTS: 1.5 (Research tools)

Evaluation: Full attendance and active participation

Information: Please contact the CUSO E&E doctoral program coordinator Caroline Betto-Colliard @: ecologie-evolution@cuso.ch, phone: +41 (0)21 692 42 44

• Please bring your laptop to the course!

Registration fee: Free for participants belonging to a CUSO University (UniBE, UniFR, UniGE, UniL & UniNE) and PhD students of the DP-biol

Travel expenses: For participants of the Interuniversity doctoral program in organismal biology (DP-biol ): see reimbursement conditions

For participants of the CUSO doctoral program in Ecology and Evolution: see CUSO E&E web site

MAKE SURE you SIGN the ATTENDANCE LIST EACH and EVERY DAY and TAKE your ATTESTATION of ATTENDANCE at the END of the COURSE (no attestation will be sent by mail)

!PREREQUISITE! Participants should have some basic knowledge of basics genetics

Registration through the CUSO Doctoral Program in Ecology and Evolution web site closed