Dr Jeffrey Schoenebeck (BS, PhD)

Senior Research Fellow

Contact details

Address

Street

The Roslin Institute
Easter Bush Campus
Midlothian

City
Midlothian
Post code
EH25 9RG

Availability

  • Willingness to take Ph.D. students: Yes
    1) Avian beak development and morphology
    2) Advancement of companion animal iPSC-related technologies and techniques

Biography

Background

My studies were conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Deborah Yelon (NYU School of Medicine's Skirball Institute). There I studied the patterning and fate decisions of lateral plate mesoderm that gives rise to cardiac tissue. During my postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Human Genome Research, I conducted population genetics studies of dogs to uncover alleles that are associated with breed-defining morphologies such as body size and skull shape. In 2013, I opened my laboratory at The Roslin Institute (University of Edinburgh), where I continued my work studying companion animal skeletal morphology, genetics and health, and genome biology. I am a tenured senior research fellow (associate professor).  Since 2013, my group's research interests expanded. Our current efforts involve projects aligned with genome biology and animal welfare of both companion and production animals.

 

Qualifications

2020-Present      Tenured Group Leader (Senior Research Fellow / Associate Professor). Division of Genome Biology, Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK

2019-2020      Group Leader. Division of Genetics and Genomics, Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK

2013-2019      Chancellor’s Fellow. Division of Genetics and Genomics, Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK

2007-2011      Research Scientist. Cancer Genetics Branch. National Human Genome Research Institute and National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Bethesda, USA

2007-2013      PRAT Postdoctoral Research Fellow, NHGRI Research Fellow. Cancer Genetics Branch. National Human Genome Research Institute and National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Bethesda, USA

2001-2006      PhD. “Mechanisms regulating latent cardiac potential in the anterior lateral plate mesoderm”. Developmental Genetics Program, New York University School of Medicine, NY, USA

1999-2001      Research Technician. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Rockville, MD, USA

1993-1999       BS (Biology), The Pennsylvania State University, PA, USA

  • Minor in Spanish language
  • Intercalated cooperative education at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, King of Prussia, PA, USA (1.5 yrs)

Responsibilities & affiliations

  • Exam board convenor - Applied Conservation Genetics with Wildlife Forensics
  • Co-organiser, Companion Animal Genetic Health meetings - Edinburgh, UK 2018, 2023
  • Companion animal section chair, International Society for Animal Genetics
  • Scientific organising committee, International Canine and Feline Genetic and Genomics
  • Society for Genetics member
  • British Society for Developmental Biology member
  • Thesis committee chair and internal advisor

Undergraduate teaching

Animal Body 1 - Lecturer/examiner. Teach concepts of DNA, RNA, and protein to R(D)SVS first year veterinary students.

Animal Body 4 - examiner of student research projects.

Postgraduate teaching

  • Primary and secondary supervisor for PhD, Master’s students, and undergraduate research projects.
  • Successfully completed degree programmes: 4 PhD students, 1 MScT, and 1 MScR
  • Thesis committee chair 
  • Thesis committee external advisor
  • Internal and external examiner for postgraduate vivas.

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Current PhD students supervised

I currently supervise 1 PhD student:

Chandrindu Abeykoon

Past PhD students supervised

I was primary supervisor for 4 PhD and 1 MScR students. All completed their studies and were awarded their respective postgraduate degrees.

Thomas Marchant

Jenni Irving-McGrath

Wengang Zhang

Sarah Struthers (PhD - Dick Vet Awardee)

Louise Adamson (MScR)

 

Research summary

Comparative & functional genetics, genome biology, avian and mammalian craniofacial biology and genetics

Current research interests

Currently, my research group has three areas of interest: 1) Addressing the injurious feather pecking of layer hens through genetic and genome modification. 2) Genome assembly: generation of improved companion animal reference genomes and annotation. We are building a new telomere-to-telomere (T2T) dog genome assembly and we are actively in efforts to build a dog genome reference. 3) Production induced pluripotent stem cells of companion animal species. 4) Development of in vitro models of avian and mammal craniofacial biology

Affiliated research centres

Current project grants

*Denotes lead PI
2024 Roslin ISP Pump Priming. “Production of neural crest-like cells from chicken primordial germ cells”. £8,756 (9 mo.)*
2024 International Institutional Award. “Production of Long Read Assemblies in Support of Dog Pangenome Consortium Efforts” £25,000 (6 mo.)*
2023 BBSRC Responsive Mode. “Genetic and Molecular Regulation of Beak Tip (Rhinotheca) Shape in Layer Hens”. £769,775.97 (3 yrs.)*

Past project grants

*Denotes lead PI
2022 EveryCat Health Foundation. “Creation of a Feline Living Bioarchive and Feline Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Use in Investigations into Feline Tooth Resorption & Other Feline Diseases” $29,9880 (1 yr. studentship - MScR)
2022 Guide Dogs collaborative research. “Born to Guide. Phase I”. £375,000 (2 yrs.)
2021 IDEXX industry award. “Lifestyle risks for healthy ageing in a dog population”. £100,000 (1 yr.)
2020 Dogs Trust. “Lifestyle risks for healthy ageing in a dog population”. £86,602 (1.5 yrs.)
2019 BBSRC ISP Pump Priming, “Enhancer-promoter interactions within the chicken facial primordia”. £20,000 (1 yr.)*
2018 Feline Biobank 3 yr. PhD Studentship – Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
2018 Dogs Trust. “Fit for Purpose: A Reference Genome to Empower Canine Health Research”. £199,936 (3 yrs.)*
2017 Fiona and Ian Russel Corn Seed grant. “Towards a Bioinformatics Infrastructure to Uncover Rare Variants in Companion Animals”. £4,400 (1 yr.)*
2016 Feline Biobank – Hill’s Pet Nutrition. £654,390 (2 yrs.)*
2016 Fiona and Ian Russel Corn Seed grant (co-PI). “Variant Discovery from the Genomes of Dogs Diagnosed with Extrahepatic Portosystemic Shunts”. £3,400 (1 yr.)*
2015 WellcomeTrust-UoE ISSF award. “Towards Understanding the Genetic Basis of Craniofacial Morphology and Disease”. £43,641 (1 yr.)*
2014 Dogs Trust (UK). “Addressing the Genetic Determination and Mechanisms of Morbidity Associated with Canine Upper Airway Syndrome”. £200,000 (2 yrs.)*
2014 Roslin Institute Pump priming grant. “Genetic Elucidation of Quantitative Trait Loci that Underlie Brachycephalic Head Shape and Diseases”. £4,500 (1 yr.)*

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