During her PhD studies, Naghmeh Saedi investigated how the host genome and rumen microbiome jointly influence methane emissions in dairy cattle. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and reducing its production in ruminants is important for sustainable livestock farming. Naghmeh explored how microbial functions and host genetic variants contribute to methane variation using genomic prediction models and microbial network analysis. Her work integrated 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenomic data with host genotypes to estimate heritability, identify microbial hubs, and detect SNP-microbial function interactions.

The findings contribute to understanding how microbial traits and host genetics interact, offering new perspectives for methane reduction through breeding strategies.

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: Monday, 20 October 2025 at 09.00.
Place: building 1630, Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 6B, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus.
Title of PhD thesis: Modeling the direct and indirect effects of cow genome on methane production to breed for less methane-emitting cows
Contact information: Naghmeh Saedi, e-mail: naghsa@qgg.au.dk, tel.: +45 51984010
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Noelia Ibañez Escriche, Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain
Associate Professor Rasmus Froberg Brøndum, Center for Clinical Data Science, Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark
Professor Luc Janss, Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics (QGG), Aarhus University (chair), Denmark
Main supervisor: Professor Mogens Sandø Lund, Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics (QGG), Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor: Associate Professor Emre Karaman, 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.