Rate My Professor Michael Lee

Dr. Michael Lee serves as Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics within the Sciences Division at the University of Otago. He earned his BSc (Honours), Diploma in Graduate Studies (DipGrad), and PhD from the University of Otago. Based in Science III, room 214 in Dunedin, he contributes to research and teaching in quantitative genetics. As a lecturer for QGEN401 Quantitative Genetics and Improvement, Lee covers modern methods including genetic parameter and breeding value estimation, multi-trait evaluation, selection, genomic data analysis, and breeding programme design with applications to New Zealand's primary sector.

Lee's research specializes in statistical models for genetic evaluation in livestock breeding, particularly sheep, collaborating with Beef + Lamb New Zealand Genetics on maternal traits and genotype-by-environment interactions. Key publications include 'Assessing accuracy of imputation using different SNP panel densities: a sheep example' (Ventura et al., Genetics Selection Evolution, 2016), examining SNP imputation accuracy; 'The quality of the algorithm for proven and young sires when prediction error variance is accounted for' (Nilforooshan et al., Journal of Animal Science, 2019); and 'Developing breeding values for shedding using industry-collected data' (Costilla et al., New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2024). He supervised J.B. Holmes' 2018 PhD on genetic evaluation modelling for New Zealand sheep and presented a 2014 seminar on 'Animal Breeding and Economics: an example from the NZ Sheep Industry.' His work supports genomic prediction advancements for the agricultural sector.