Dr. Stephen Coleman was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and completed his training in equine genetics and genomics at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY. His graduate research projects focused on using molecular and cell biology techniques in parallel with bioinformatics to understand more about genomic organization in the horse and the structural annotation of equine protein-coding genes. These projects involved the first application of next-generation sequencing technology in the horse. Following his graduate work, Stephen completed a two and a half year postdoc with Carol and Jeff Wilusz at Colorado State University investigating post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression and RNA stability in Type 1 myotonic dystrophy. He enjoys teaching and interacting with students to help them learn about genetics and how that knowledge can be applied across the horse industry. Stephen also enjoys engaging with his colleagues in the department and across the university to ask and answer interesting questions.

Stephen’s main research interests center on understanding more of the relationship between an animal’s genotype and the phenotype ultimately expressed. His lab, the Equine Breeding and Genetics Laboratory, is currently focused on developing a genetic evaluation program for horses, investigating the molecular basis of genetics selection and improvement, and exploring the development and dynamics of the equine microbiome.