HANS-ULRICH GRASER

Born in 1949 in Ludwigsburg, Dr Hans-Ulrich Graser completed his University education at the University of Hohenheim with a D.Sc.Agr. in 1980, where he researched BLUP for Braunvieh dairy cattle. His first introduction to Australia came when he was awarded a two-year Post-Doctoral Overseas Research Scholarship by the German Research Foundation to work at the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU) at the University of New England. Entrusted to the delicate care of Dr Keith Hammond, Hans began applying BLUP to the Australian beef industry, resulting in the first multi-trait EBVs for any Australian industry, published in 1982. The Australian Simmental Breeders' Association (ASBA) provided the data and their support as Hans travelled Australia learning about beef production in this country. He developed software that implemented a single trait sire model and a multiple trait direct and maternal sire model for use in the Australian beef industry. Variance and covariances were estimated for the breed. Those analytical programs were used until 1986 for the genetic evaluation of Simmental cattle in Australia. They were also adapted for use in the Sire reference Schemes promoted by the Angus and Poll Hereford Breeds.

On his return to Germany, Hans worked as a lecturer at the University of Hohenheim for close to two years. In early 1984, the Australian Meat Research Corporation funded Hans to undertake a consultancy at AGBU. The consultancy was designed to examine the feasibility of providing BLUP technology to individual beef cattle breeders in Australia and was the beginning of Australia's national beef genetic evaluation scheme that subsequently became known as BREEDPLAN. Late in 1984 Hans was appointed by NSW Agriculture as a biometrician before being promoted to Livestock Research Officer. In 1986 Hans co-authored two significant papers in animal breeding that changed the way geneticists worldwide estimate variance components (Restricted Maximum Likelihood estimates, derivative free approach). Some of the ideas contained in those papers are still widely used today. In 1988, Hans returned to Germany as a Scientist at the Bavarian State Institute of Animal Production, where he developed software for the genetic evaluation of dairy cattle for milk production traits. This software was used in Bavaria and other states of Germany and Austria. In a collaborative project with AGBU, Hans also developed software for analysing a single categorical trait with a sire model, which was then applied in both Bavaria and Australia.

Hans returned to AGBU in 1992 as Technical Director, where he led the research group that over the next 10 or more years developed genetic evaluation systems such as BREEDPLAN, GROUP BREEDPLAN, BREEDOBJECT and the Trans-Tasman GROUP BREEDPLAN for the beef industry, PIGBLUP for pig breeders, OVIS for the sheep meat and wool industries, and TREEPLAN for forest tree breeders. He helped to considerably broaden AGBU's focus to also include the design of animal breeding programs. During his appointment as Technical Director, the genetic evaluation systems developed by AGBU incorporated many novel features, including new models and traits. Hans was instrumental in developing the evaluation system that combines a single categorical trait with multiple continuously distributed traits. As Technical Director of AGBU, Hans always focused on systems aimed at providing breeders with the best possible information and provided strong leadership to other researchers at AGBU, including supervision of postgraduate students. In 1998, Hans was appointed as Director of AGBU, a position he still holds. This appointment required Hans to reduce his research role in order to undertake a wide range of administrative tasks. This has been, and remains, a challenge as most staff at AGBU are funded through short- to medium-term research contracts with the major livestock research funding bodies including Meat and Livestock Australia, Australian Pork Limited, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, Dairy Australia, and by industry (for example Southern Tree Breeding Association, QAF Meat Industries Pty Ltd, Primegro Limited and private breeders). Nevertheless, Hans continues to provide major technical inputs into AGBU's research programs, particularly in their planning and oversight.

Hans has provided a strong connection between animal breeders and geneticists in Australia and Europe, facilitating the visits of a number of researchers from Germany to assist AGBU with its research and development programs. These have included leading international scientists such as Horst Brandt, Uwe Wünsch, Willi Fuchs, Gerhardt Nitter, Ernst Tholen, Prof Ina Hoeschele and Prof Fewson to name a few. Over the past 25 years, whether in Germany or Australia, Hans Graser has made many significant contributions to Australia's livestock industries, and to the Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics of which he has been a member since 1981. In recognition of Hans's contribution to Australia's beef industries the ASBA bestowed life membership on Hans in 1988 and the Angus Society of Australia presented him with the Chevalier Award in 2002.

For his outstanding contribution to the development and implementation of BLUP technologies in the Australian livestock industries, the Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics is pleased to enrol Dr Hans-Ulrich Graser as a Fellow of the Association.