Chris Wallard
GLOBAL HEAD OF XELECT LTD
Chris has held a number of roles at Xelect including Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to joining Xelect Chris held a range of leadership roles, ranging from FTSE 100 companies to fintech. He brings diverse and extensive experience in business development, marketing and digital. He has a Masters degree in English Language and Literature from the University of St Andrews.
Dr Marie Smedley
HEAD OF BREEDING PROGRAMMES
Marie has a PhD in Atlantic salmon biology from the Institute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling’s Reproduction and Genetics Group. Marie has commercial experience working with producers such as MOWI and Biomar and has a broad range of computer analytical and fish husbandry skills. At Xelect Marie ensures that our breeding management customers around the world are met with professional support and advice through close liaison.
Dr Rachael Wilbourn
HEAD OF LABORATORY
Rachael has over 10 years’ experience in a range of molecular biology techniques such as DNA/RNA extraction, PCR/qPCR, genotyping and NGS, and has a strong background in population genetics. At Xelect she is an integral part of the team ensuring smooth and efficient lab processing whilst keeping high quality standards throughout. She is also actively involved in routine genetic services and data analysis on client projects. Rachael has a PhD in Evolution & Behaviour from the University of Lethbridge in Canada. Rachael recently won Hatchery International’s ‘Top 10 Under 40 Award’ for aquaculture professionals.
Dr Mark Looseley
HEAD OF ANALYTICS AND R&D
Mark gained his first degree in Evolutionary Biology at St Andrews University, before receiving an MSc in Quantitive Genetics from the University of Edinburgh. He returned to St Andrews for his PhD in Evolutionary Genomics.
He joined the James Hutton Institute, with responsibility for identifying genetic variation in barley, including disease resistance and premium quality traits.
Dave Cooper
FINANCE MANAGER
Dave qualified as a chartered accountant with Ernst & Young and has spent most of his career in commercial roles in the UK. He was Finance Director of AIM listed Dawson International plc, an international textiles group, and has operated his own consultancy business providing financial resource to companies in a variety of sectors. He is currently a Non-Executive Director of Leeds Group plc and chairs their audit committee.
Craig Fairgrieve
MARKETING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Craig is a highly skilled digital strategist who began his career in technology and web development before branching out into the world of search engine optimisation, content strategy and digital marketing. He has provided digital strategies and guidance across a range of B2B and B2C clients, including The Gleneagles Hotel, SSE Business Energy and Lloyds TSB.
Dr José Mota-Velasco
SENIOR BREEDING PROGRAMME MANAGER
José has more than 10 years experience working for major aquaculture genetics firms. During this time, he has held several managerial positions involving genetics, genomics and management of breeding programmes for marine and freshwater species. At Xelect, José is delivering comprenhensive, specialist support to our customers breeding programmes. He obtained an MSc and PhD in genetics in Aquaculture from the University of Stirling.
Dr Carlos Diaz Gil
SENIOR BREEDING PROGRAMME MANAGER
Carlos has a multidisciplinary Marine Sciences degree and a M.Sc. in Aquaculture and Fisheries from the University of Cádiz. He also holds a Ph.D. in Marine Ecology from the University of the Balearic Islands.
Carlos provides expert breeding programme support to our customers worldwide.
Dr Lidia de los Ríos Pérez
SENIOR BREEDING PROGRAMME MANAGER
Lidia has a background in Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry, with an M.Sc in Animal Breeding and Genetics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Due to her combination of genetics and aquaculture experience, Lidia will be working with our customers to design, manage and optimise their breeding programmes.
Dr Rose Komugisha Basiita
SENIOR BREEDING PROGRAMME MANAGER
Rose obtained her PhD in Aquaculture genetics at James Cook University in Australia. She has held key roles as a Senior Research Scientist with NARO in Uganda, a Research Worker at James Cook University, and most recently, a Senior Scientist at CGIAR’s WorldFish, Zambia, and Southern Africa, leading the design and management of several regional aquaculture projects and tilapia selective breeding programmes.
Dr Stelios Kyriakidis
BIOINFORMATICIAN
Stelios has a PhD in bioinformatics from the University of Dundee and “The James Hutton” institute, with expertise in next-generation sequencing data analysis, variant detection in relation to domestication, evolution and their use for the improvement of breeding programmes. At Xelect, Stelios is responsible for the analysis of NGS data, developing computational tools and building/managing databases holding vast amount of information coming from our customers and the associated data analysis.
Dr Max Coulter
BIOINFORMATICIAN / GENETICIST
Max has a BSc in Molecular Biology from the University of Exeter and a PhD from James Hutton Institute and University of Dundee in quantitative and molecular genetics. He also has 3 years of post-doctorate experience developing software pipelines (for improved transcriptomics analysis and pan-genomics).
At Xelect he develops our bioinformatics processes and in-house genetics software, as well as contributing to our ongoing R&D programme.
Dr Paolo Ruggeri
SCIENTIFIC OFFICER
Paolo has a PhD in population genetics and strong academic background in marine genomics and molecular biology. He has broad experience in DNA preparation, genotyping and modern sequencing techniques, as well as the analysis of genetic data.
As well as genotyping, Paolo will assist the development of our breeding programmes and plays a central role in our genetic marker discovery and R&D.
Aaren Dannoch
SCIENTIFIC OFFICER
Aaren has 10 years experience working in UKAS accredited NHS diagnostic laboratories working within clinical genetics laboratories with experience of Next Generation Sequencing, Sanger sequencing and various DNA/RNA extraction techniques. She has a BSc (Hons) degree in Marine Biology from the University of Stirling.
Danielle MacRae
SCIENTIFIC OFFICER
Danielle has an MSc in Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology from Heriot-Watt University, and previously worked as a Quality Assurance Auditor for SGS, a world leader in scientific testing. She also led a team at Scotland’s central Diagnostics laboratory, running a high throughput COVID19 testing service.
Jeroen ven der Kaay
LABORATORY TECHNICIAN
Jeroen has 24 years experience in life-sciences research, and has a strong background in molecular biology, including DNA / RNA preparation, PCR, SNP discovery and genotyping.
Anne Shaw
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Anne held several PA and administrative positions in South Africa before returning home to Scotland.
Prof Ian Johnston
CONSULTANT
Ian is Xelect’s former CEO and co-founder. He is a world leading researcher in fish physiology and genetics and one of the most highly cited authors in aquaculture on Google Scholar. He is particularly known for his research on muscle growth, adaptation to temperature
change and genome evolution. Prior to founding Xelect he was Director of the Scottish Oceans Institute, University
of St Andrews.
Dr Christopher Hollenbeck
GENOMICS CONSULTANT
Chris has a strong background in population genetics and bioinformatics. He specialises in applying genomics to aquaculture breeding programmes. He obtained a Ph.D. in Genetics from Texas A&M University, and was a post-doctoral researcher at St Andrews University.
Dionisio Ramos
SALES DEVELOPMENT MANAGER (CHILE)
Dionisio is an experienced professional of the Chilean salmon farming industry and a former manager at Landcatch. He is our sales representative based in Puerto Montt, Chile.