Huicong’s PhD research focused on constructing the most comprehensive regulatory map of the cattle genome to date. Aiming to capture the full regulatory landscape, he extensively aggregated available public RNA-seq data using a newly developed pipeline, resulting in the CattleGTEx Phase 1 atlas.

This research characterized regulatory variation across 35 tissues and further refined the resolution from tissues down to specific cell types. The outcome is a unified resource that allows researchers to pinpoint the molecular mechanisms behind genetic associations, significantly advancing our ability to utilize genomic information in cattle breeding.

The PhD study was completed at Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics (QGG), Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Thursday, 29 January 2026 at 10.30 am.
Place:  1531-113, Auditorium D1, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, 8000 Aarhus C
Title of PhD thesis: An updated CattleGTEx resource for functional annotation and regulatory mechanism discovery in cattle
Contact information: Huicong Zhang e-mail: huicongz@qgg.au.dk tel.: +45 71483918
Members of the assessment committee:
Associate Professor Monique van der Wijst, University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands
Associate Professor Jordi Merino Ribas, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Copenhagen University, Denmark
Professor Doug Speed (chair), Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics (QGG), Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor: Senior researcher Peter Sørensen, Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics (QGG), Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor: Tenure Track Assistant Professor Lingzhao Fang, Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics (QGG), Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Technical Sciences/GSTS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.