Genetics Fellow and Graduate Research Assistant
Kansas State University
Will Shaffer received his Masters in Genetics at Kansas State University and is currently a Genetics Fellow and Graduate Research Assistant in the Animal Science and Industry department at Kansas State University. Will's research and experience is focusded on expanding the classical tools of animal breeding to provide more information for efficient genetic evaluation. Examples of past and current work include: modeling genetic parameters as a function of environmental characteristics (G×E) and their impact on adaptability, leveraging deep learning/artificial intelligence to extract phenotypes from video and photographic data, and comparing genetic evaluations of beef sires with data sourced from the dairy industry. Will has has a generalized interest in genetic-by-environment interaction research, evaluating adaptability in genetic evaluations and evaluating the consequences of selection on "adaptability" on overall production, and leveraging "big data" in the form of sensor data and other data sources that can be automatically captured and deconstructed to extract useful phenotypes. In his free time, Will enjoys weightlifting, Crew (rowing), snowboarding, and occasionally building computers.