Prof. Dr. sc. agr. Markus Schmid
Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN)
Head of the focus topic "Promoting diversity in animal farming"
Head of Working group Quantitative Animal Genetics
Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2
18196 Dummerstorf
Head of the focus topic "Promoting diversity in animal farming"
Head of Working group Quantitative Animal Genetics
Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2
18196 Dummerstorf
Research interests
Quantitative genetic background of traits and population genetic background of livestock populations
- with regard to the adaptation of livestock populations to future or changed production conditions;
- with a focus on complex immune competence, basic feed efficiency, metabolic stability and (climate) resilience;
- for a better understanding of complex immune competence, basal feed efficiency, metabolic stability and (climate) resilience as dynamic systems
- and for the preservation of genetic diversity and avoidance of negative consequences through selection or population management
as well as concepts for novel and modern breeding programmes incorporating
- interactions between genetics and the environment, such as pathogen-host interactions and genotype-feed interactions, or
- microbiota data and other omics information.
Curriculum Vitae
- From 03/2026: Professor of Statistical Methods in Animal Breeding at the Faculty of Agriculture, Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock
- Head of the focus area Promoting Diversity in Animal Farming
- Head of the working group Quantitative Animal Genetics
- 11/2018 – 02/2026: Postdoc and habilitation in the Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding at the University of Hohenheim
- April 2018 – October 2018: Research assistant at the State Institute for Pig Breeding (LSZ) Boxberg
- December 2014 – March 2018: Doctorate at the Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding at the University of Hohenheim
- October 2009 – October 2014: Studied agricultural sciences with a specialisation in animal sciences at the University of Hohenheim
- September 2007 – September 2009: Vocational training in agriculture
Teaching
- Lectures and seminars at the Faculty of Agriculture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Rostock and at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Hohenheim (2014-2026).
Publications
Schmid M.; Haas, V.P.; Sarpong N.; Rodehutscord M.; Seifert J.; Camarinha-Silva A.; Bennewitz J. (2025):
Fecal microbiota-based investigations of nitrogen utilization efficiency and related traits in a Landrace × Piétrain crossbred population
Journal of Animal Science 103: skaf028, 1-12
https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf028
Martin R.; Gürtler J.; Haas V. P.; Piefke C.; Schmucker S.; Stefanski V.; Bennewitz, J.; Schmid M. (2025):
Phenotypic and genetic analyses of parasitological, physiological and immunological indicator traits of gastrointestinal nematode infections in German Merino crossbred lambs
Small Ruminant Research 250: 107557, 1-10
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107557
Schmid M.; Weishaar R.; Seifert J.; Camarinha-Silva A.; Rodehutscord M.; Bennewitz J. (2024):
Genomic analyses of nitrogen utilization efficiency, its indicator trait blood urea nitrogen and the relationship to classical growth performance and feed efficiency traits in a Landrace × Piétrain crossbred population
Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics 141 (5): 559-570
https://doi.org/10.1111/jbg.12864
Schmid, M.; Stefanski, V.; Bennewitz, J. (2024):
Immunkompetenz gegenüber gastrointestinalen Nematoden und deren züchterische Bearbeitung beim Schaf – 2. Selektionsmerkmale und Herausforderungen für die Zucht
Züchtungskunde 96 (5): 370-385
Schmid, M.; Bennewitz, J.; Stefanski, V. (2024):
Immunkompetenz gegenüber gastrointestinalen Nematoden und deren züchterische Bearbeitung beim Schaf - 1. Infektion, immunologische Reaktion und Immunität
Züchtungskunde 96 (4): 312-327
Martin, R.; Pook, T.; Bennewitz, J.; Schmid, M. (2024):
Genomic selection strategies for the German Merino sheep breeding programme - A simulation study
Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics 142 (3): 251-262
https://doi.org/10.1111/jbg.12897
Martin R.; Pook T.; Bennewitz J.; Schmid M. (2023):
Optimization Strategies to Adapt Sheep Breeding Programs to Pasture-Based Production Environments: A Simulation Study
Animals 13 (22): 3476, 1-14
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13223476
Schmid M.; Gürtler J.; Schneider H.; Bennewitz J. (2023):
Population structure and genomic analyses of carcass back Length, shoulder width and leg width in purebred and crossbred German Merino sheep
Small Ruminant Research 226: 107052, 1-9
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2023.107052
Schmid M.; Stock J.; Bennewitz, J.; Wellmann R. (2022):
Improving the Accuracy of Multi-Breed Prediction in Admixed Populations by Accounting for the Breed Origin of Haplotype Segments
Frontiers in Genetics 13: 840815, 1-6
https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2022.840815
Iffland H.; Schmid M.; Preuß S.; Bessei W.; Bennewitz J. (2021):
Phenotypic and genomic analyses of agonistic interactions in laying hen lines divergently selected for feather pecking
Applied Animal Behaviour Science 234: 105177, 1-8
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2020.105177
Schmid M.; Imort-Just A.; Emmerling R.; Fuerst C.; Hamann H.; Bennewitz J. (2021):
Genotype-by-environment interactions at the trait level and total merit index level for milk production and functional traits in Brown Swiss cattle
Animal 15 (1): 100052, 1-7
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2020.100052
Vollmar S.; Haas V.; Schmid M.; Preuß S.; Joshi R.; Rodehutscord M.; Bennewitz J. (2021):
Mapping genes for phosphorus utilization and correlated traits using a 4k SNP linkage map in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)
Animal Genetics 52 (1): 90-98
https://doi.org/10.1111/age.13018
Borda-Molina D.; Iffland H.; Schmid M.; Müller R.; Schad S.; Seifert J.; Tetens, J.; Bessei W.; Bennewitz, J.; Camarinha-Silva, A. (2021):
Gut Microbial Composition and Predicted Functions Are Not Associated with Feather Pecking and Antagonistic Behavior in Laying Hens
Life 11 (3): 235, 1-13
https://doi.org/10.3390/life11030235
Abanda B.; Schmid M.; Paguem A.; Iffland H.; Preuß S.; Renz A.; Eisenbarth A. (2021):
Genetic Analyses and Genome-Wide Association Studies on Pathogen Resistance of Bos taurus and Bos indicus Cattle Breeds in Cameroon
Genes 12 (7): 976, 1-10
https://doi.org/10.3390/genes12070976
Iffland H.; Wellmann R.; Schmid M.; Preuß S.; Tetens J.; Bennewitz J.; Bessei W. (2020):
Genomewide Mapping of Selection Signatures and Genes for Extreme Feather Pecking in Two Divergently Selected Laying Hen Lines
Animals 10 (2): 262, 1-18
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10020262
Dreher C.; Wellmann R.; Stratz P.; Schmid M.; Preuß S.; Hamann H.; Bennewitz J. (2019):
Genomic analysis of perinatal sucking reflex in German Brown Swiss calves
Journal of Dairy Science 102 (7): 6296-6305
https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-16487
Schmid M.; Maushammer M.; Preuß S.; Bennewitz J. (2018):
Mapping QTL for production traits in segregating Piétrain pig populations using genome-wide association study results of F2 crosses
Animal Genetics 49 (4): 317-320
https://doi.org/10.1111/age.12663
Stratz P.; Schmid M.; Wellmann R.; Preuß S.; Blaj I.; Tetens J.; Thaller G.; Bennewitz J. (2018):
Linkage disequilibrium pattern and genome-wide association mapping for meat traits in multiple porcine F2 crosses
Animal Genetics 49 (5): 403-412
https://doi.org/10.1111/age.12684
Schmid M.; Wellmann R.; Bennewitz J. (2018):
Power and precision of QTL mapping in simulated multiple porcine F2 crosses using whole-genome sequence information
BMC Genetics 1: 22, 1-8
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12863-018-0604-0
Schmid M.; Bennewitz J. (2017):
Invited review: Genome-wide association analysis for quantitative traits in livestock – a selective review of statistical models and experimental designs
Archives Animal Breeding 60 (3): 333-346
https://doi.org/10.5194/aab-60-335-2017