Christopher Tuggle, professor in animal science, is the recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Achievement in International Agriculture Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. His research centers on functional genomics of the pig genome and on characterizing and exploiting a serendipitous mutation that causes pig severe combined immune deficiency. Tuggle’s career includes 184 refereed publications, many of which involve international collaborations. His more than $16 million in research funding as principle investigator has provided support for many international graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and visiting scientists. He has provided more than 120 invited talks covering five continents. For one of two international sabbaticals he has taken, he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship.
Tuggle further expanded his international leadership by co-founding and co-chairing the steering committee of the Functional Annotation of Animal Genomes consortium, a group of more than 450 scientists from more than 18 countries who collaborate to improve the understanding of animal genomes. He organized an international FAANG workshop in Washington D.C., where he secured presentations by national and international funding agencies on how the goals of FAANG fit the funding portfolios of these agencies. A direct outcome of this meeting was increased funding for FAANG-oriented research projects in the U.S. and Europe. A colleague states, “Dr. Tuggle has many connections to and roles in the international animal genomics research enterprise. His leadership and organizational efforts have increased research support for animal genomics, as well as increased opportunities for students and scientists to participate in such research.”