Dr. Jack C. Dekkers has established and conducted highly productive research programs in several key areas in animal breeding and genetics and has thereby made important contributions to the science of animal breeding and genetics and its application. His initial work was on dairy cattle breeding, including design and economic evaluation of breeding programs, development of breeding objectives and economic indexes, genetic analysis and evaluation of functional traits, and development of random regression models. Subsequent contributions have focused on genetics of feed efficiency of pigs and disease resistance in pigs and poultry. Throughout his career, he has also made important contributions to the integration of molecular genetics and genomics in animal breeding, including QTL detection, marker-assisted selection, and genomic selection. His contributions are internationally recognised and characterized by fundamental strength and innovation but with a keen eye for application.