Leke Victor Aiyesa

Research interest:
My research centers on understanding the molecular basis of complex traits through data-driven methods. I specialize in the application of genomics-assisted breeding tools—including genomic prediction, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), genotype-environment association analysis, genomic diversity analyses, and differential gene expression analysis—using both statistical and machine learning approaches.
Current project:
My current project focuses on investigating the genetic basis of drought stress adaptation in Q. robur subsp. pendunculiflora and selected German pedunculate oak stands with a wide ecological adaptation. To this end, drought stress adaptation and growth traits will be investigated using multisensory high-throughput precision phenotyping in a seedling-based experiment. Whole-genome resequencing of offspring of both subspecies will be used for GWAS to identify adaptive variants and candidate genes. Based on these data, a 55,000 SNP array will be developed for genotyping up to 2000 individuals for further GWAS and genomic prediction analysis. The trained models are then used to predict drought tolerance-related phenotypic traits of individuals. The project offers the potential to characterize, for the first time, the genetic basis of climate adaptation in the drought-tolerant variety of English oak, Q. robur subsp . pedunculiflora (K. Koch) Menitsky. Gene marker- and phenotype- (drought stress and growth parameters)-assisted selection of individuals can also be used in the future to establish a seed orchard to preserve the genetic variation in drought stress genes as a gene pool in the long term and to utilize material from this gene pool for further breeding and the associated selection.
Project sponsor: Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe (FNR)
Short project title: Adaptation of the English oak (OakAdapt)
Education:
04.2022 - 04.2025 PhD. Quantitative and Population Genetics of Maize,
Georg-August Universität Göttingen, Germany.
10.2019 - 03.2022 MSc. Integrated Plant and Animal Breeding,
Georg-August Universität Göttingen, Germany.
02.2009 - 01.2014 BSc. Animal Breeding and Genetics,
Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria.
Work Experience:
04.2025 – till present Scientific researcher (Post-doc)
Department of Forest Genetics and Forest Tree Breeding
Center for Breeding Research (CiBreed)
Georg-August Universität Göttingen
04.2022 – 03.2025 Scientific researcher (PhD)
Division of Plant Breeding Methodology
Department of Crop Sciences
Center for Breeding Research (CiBreed)
Georg-August Universität Göttingen
02.2023 - 12.2023 Program Coordinator
Integrated Plant and Animal Breeding (iPAB) &
Center for Breeding Research (CiBreed)
Georg-August Universität Göttingen
04.2021 - 03.2022 Student Researcher
Quantitative Genetics Group, Department of Breeding Research &
Network Analysis and Modelling Group, Department of Molecular Genetics
Leibniz Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben.
Publications:
Aiyesa, L. V., Scholten, S., Link, W., Zumbach, B., & Kaufmann, D. & Beissinger, T. (2025). Individual plant genetics reveal the control of local adaption in European maize landraces. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. http://dx.doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4925882/v1.
Psaroudakis, D., Khayer, A., Aiyesa, L. V., Bergau, N., Tissier, A., Lu, Y., Wigge, P. A., Israeli, A., Teboul, N., Bräutigam, A., & Szymański, J. J. (2024). Identification of core, conditional, and crosstalk components of tomato heat stress response using integrative transcriptomics and orthology. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4337825/v1.


Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=tgCQr2wAAAAJ&hl=en