Melaku Gedil is Molecular geneticist/molecular breeder at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nigeria. He obtained his first degree (Plant Sciences Nov 1985. Addis Abeba University, Ethiopia) and second degree (Agronomy Aug 1993 Alemaya University of Agriculture, Ethiopia) in plant breeding. His PhD thesis project (Oregon State University USA 1999) focused on molecular biology (linkage mapping, candidate resistance gene, diversity analysis). Later, he earned MSc in biotechnology/bioinformatics to enhance his computational skill for application in molecular breeding. His experience, therefore, encompasses a wide range of state-of-the-art molecular biology lab techniques as well as bioinformatics.
He has about a decade of work experience in application of molecular marker to improvement of crops. He hopes to draw on his background in plant breeding, statistical genetics, molecular biology, and bioinformatics as a foundation for studying and applying functional genomics techniques to develop an efficient and effective molecular breeding program mainly for cassava and maize but also for soybean, cowpea, and yam.
He is particularly interested in introducing cost-effective and high throughput genotyping techniques that are feasible in developing countries. Dr. Gedil, in collaboration with colleagues, is pursuing various approaches towards this goal including development of molecular markers associated with disease resistance, quality traits, abiotic stress, and other desirable agronomic and specialty traits. Among the approaches are marker-assisted recurrent selection (MARS), genome wide association study (GWAS), genome selection (GS), QTL mapping, in silico studies such as comparative genomics and functional annotation of genes. In the newly upgraded Bioscience Center at IITA, he is leading the establishment of a bioinformatics unit.
