Prof. Dr. Türker SAVAŞ, born on 28 November 1965 in Çanakkale, Türkiye, received his Ph.D. degree from Kiel University in 1998 with a doctoral dissertation on the genetic improvement of egg production in chickens. In 1999, he was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science, Division of Animal Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture at Trakya University. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2000 and, in the same year, joined the Department of Animal Science, Division of Animal Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University.

Promoted to Full Professor in 2006, Prof. Dr. Türker SAVAŞ specializes in Animal Breeding and Genetics. He is also widely recognized for his research on animal behavior, animal welfare, and small ruminant production systems. In recent years, his interests have expanded to include production systems and animal health. He has authored more than 80 scientific articles and has presented over 150 papers at national and international scientific meetings.

Between December 2013 and December 2019, Prof. Dr. Türker SAVAŞ served as President of the Çanakkale Branch of the Chamber of Agricultural Engineers, Secretary of the TMMOB Çanakkale Provincial Coordination Board, and Spokesperson for the Çanakkale Environmental Platform. In these capacities, he worked to promote environmentally friendly alternative energy production systems and contributed to the development of related policies at various local committees and meetings in Çanakkale, particularly in support of the environmental positions adopted by the civil society organizations he represented regarding thermal power plants.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur YILMAZ is a faculty member in the Department of Animal Science, Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Türkiye, within the Division of Biometry and Genetics. His primary research interests encompass quantitative genetics, animal breeding, genetic parameter estimation, genomic selection, conservation of animal genetic resources, molecular genetics, parentage assignment, and sustainable breeding systems. He began his academic career as a research assistant in 2001 and was appointed Associate Professor in 2018. Over more than two decades of academic and research experience, he has focused particularly on genetic evaluation and selection in small ruminants, genetic diversity, molecular characterization, and the development and implementation of sustainable breeding programmes.

Dr. Yılmaz has participated in 2 international EU-funded projects and 56 national research projects. His scientific output includes 43 publications in journals indexed in Web of Science, 36 publications indexed in other databases, 6 other publications, 27 papers presented at national conferences, 67 papers presented at international conferences, 4 book chapters, and 7 translated books. His research has received substantial international recognition through citations and a strong h-index, reflecting a sustained scientific impact in the fields of animal breeding and genetics.

Dr. Yılmaz currently serves as the Türkiye Country Coordinator of the €6 million Horizon Europe project Harnessing Information Technologies for Heat Resilient Sheep Breeding (2026–2030). Previously, he served as the Türkiye Country Coordinator of the Horizon 2020 ERA-NET SUSAN project Holistic Production to Reduce the Ecological Footprint of Meat (2017–2021). He has also served as a coordinator and researcher in TAGEM-supported genetic improvement programmes involving Karya and Kıvırcık sheep and Turkish Hair goats.

Between 2022 and 2024, Dr. Yılmaz served as a member of the Small Ruminant Breeding Subcommittee of the National Animal Breeding Committee, contributing to scientific evaluation and decision-making processes related to small-ruminant breeding and genetic improvement at the national level.

His research encompasses modern approaches to genome-wide association studies (GWAS), genetic diversity, population genetics, molecular characterization, selection signatures, and quantitative genetic evaluation. A particular focus of his work is the characterization, genetic improvement, and sustainable utilization of indigenous small-ruminant genetic resources.

His current research agenda integrates quantitative and molecular genetics with data analytics and digital livestock technologies, with a particular emphasis on developing science-based, sustainable, and climate-resilient animal breeding systems.