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STEPHEN, Luke
Research interests
- Animal breeding and genetics
- Breeding program design
- Genetic evaluation
Background
Luke has a vast experience in the commercial application of genetic and sheep breeding. He grew up on a large scale commercial sheep and cattle property west of ArmidaleAfter completion of his Bachelor’s degree at the University of New England Luke worked as a BREEDPLAN consultant for two years at Agricultural Business and Research Institute helping Beef Seedstock producers with submission of performance data into BREEDPLAN. In November 2008 Luke joined Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) as the project officer for MERINOSELECT within the Sheep Genetics business unit where he worked for six years. His major task was working with sheep producers and service providers around Australia to increase the adoption and use of MERINOSELECT Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs). During this time Luke also obtained his Masters in Project Management with a major in Leadership from the University of Southern Queensland.
Luke joinedNSW DPI in February 2015 as the Technical Specialist for Sheep Breeding. He is currently the NSW DPI member on the Australian Merino Sire Evaluation Association executive committee. He is also the program leader for Decision Support tools and farming systems in the Livestock Productivity Partnership.
Qualifications
- B.RUSC- University of New England 2007
- M.PMRM-Leadership- University of Southern Queensland 2014
Current projects
- Breeding Program design and tools
- Merino Lifetime Productivity Project
- Merino Bloodline Performance
Fields of research
- 070201 Animal Breeding
- 060408 Genomics
- 060412 Quantitative Genetics (incl. Disease and Trait Mapping Genetics)
- 070202 Animal Growth and Development
- 070203 Animal Management
Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
Keyword/phrase list of research interests
- Breeding Objectives
- Genetic Evaluation
- Breeding Program Design
- Selection Indexes
- User Driven Development
Contact details
Email: luke.stephen@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Location: Livestock Industry Centre, Armidale NSW
