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R. M. Lewis |
Dr. Lewis’s research interests are in animal breeding and genetics with three main themes: (i) assessing risk when making selection decisions; (ii) devising strategies and objectives for breeding schemes; and, (iii) predicting animal performance, including growth, maternal merit and disease resistance under different conditions of genetic selection and nutrition. His work involves theory, simulation and field studies. Dr. Lewis is also investigating ways gene-assisted selection interacts with more classical quantitative selection regimes, using gene expression in hepatic tissue under environmental challenges, such as beneficial nutrients and toxicants, as the model system.
Dr. Lewis’s experimental and field work historically have focused on sheep, which continues through close collaboration with colleagues in the United Kingdom. His species interests have expanded to consider mice as part of his toxicogenomics program and, more recently, poultry.
Dr. Lewis teaches graduate level courses in Animal Breeding and Genetics, including matrix algebra for the biological sciences, stochastic simulation modeling in quantitative genetics, and design of economic selection indices. He is also leading a national initiative to develop a graduate-level distance learning curriculum in Animal Breeding and Genetics.
Office: 3100 Litton-Reaves Hall, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061
E-mail: rmlewis@vt.edu
Phone: (540) 231-1906
FAX: (540) 231-3010
