Hy-Line International donates geneticist’s time to ISU

Poultry genetics company, Hy-Line International, based in Dallas Center, Iowa, will share one of its scientists with Iowa State University.

Hy-Line hired Dr. Anna Wolc as a full-time genomics geneticist last year. Under a first-of-its-kind agreement with the university, the company will donate 30% of her time to conduct research in animal science at Iowa State.

Wolc previously had worked as a post-doctoral research associate at Iowa State under Dr. Jack Dekkers, professor of animal science. She earned a doctorate at the Poznan University of Life Sciences in Poland.

“Hy-Line International’s research program will greatly benefit from this close public-private partnership to investigate and quickly implement innovations in genetics and breeding,” said Dr. Neil O’Sullivan, Hy-Line International’s director of research and development. “Rapid adoption of new technology drives progress in our company as well as economic progress in our state and industry as improvements in genetic science are more quickly integrated into our products and delivered to the market.”

“The partnership with Hy-Line International is a bold approach to work collaboratively toward a common goal of providing new insights into poultry genomics,” said Dr. Maynard Hogberg, chair of the ISU Department of Animal Science. “We look forward to having a scientist of Wolc’s caliber working together with us. Her 30 percent time with us will be spent teaching graduate students and working with faculty on research of broad interest and benefit to breeding and genetics.”

Jonathan Cade, president of Hy-Line International, added, “This agreement reinforces and advances the company’s long-standing relationship with Iowa State, and puts continued studies of genomics data at the heart of our development agenda.”