Bovine TB: Queen’s graduate earns PhD after developing new way to protect farmers and wildlife from disease
A new graduate of Queen’s University Belfast has developed a simple, rapid and low-cost way to identify different strains of bovine tuberculosis – a disease that continues to place huge pressure on farmers and rural communities across Northern Ireland.
Bovine TB remains one of the most persistent and costly animal health challenges, affecting farmers, wildlife and government agencies.
For Dr Ryan Magee, from Derry / Londonderry, who graduated on Monday from Queen’s University Belfast with a PhD, what began as an interest in population genetics during his undergraduate degree at Queen’s, quickly turned into a passion for tackling a disease with real-world impact – one that carries significant financial and emotional strain for farming families.
“I didn’t know much about bovine TB beyond that it infected cattle and badgers before beginning my research,” he said.
"I had read the work of my to-be supervisors, Robin Skuce and Adrian Allen at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, going into the BTBGenIE (Bovine Tuberculosis Genomics Ireland) project and was really interested.
"It’s the UK and Ireland’s costliest, most controversial and most complex pathogen capable of passing between animals and humans, and I became increasingly invested in the disease itself as I learned more about its scale, impact and complexity.”
During his PhD, Ryan helped analyse more than 1,000 whole-genome sequences of the bacterium, creating the most detailed genetic family tree of the pathogen in Ireland to date. From this, the team identified the smallest number of genetic markers needed to reliably distinguish one variant from another.
The result is a simple DNA test that can identify a bovine TB strain within hours using equipment already available at Queen’s.
His research also explored how bovine TB moves around the island, focusing on a key stretch of the border between Monaghan and the surrounding Northern counties.
Contrary to expectations, the team found that most transmission happens locally within each jurisdiction, with relatively little cross-border spread.
Throughout his PhD, the support from Queen’s and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) shaped both Ryan’s skillset and his confidence.
He said: “I was surrounded by people who cared about my development. My supervisors at Queen’s were incredibly engaged, and my external supervisors at AFBI taught me how to think about the real-world impact of the work.”
That support has helped Ryan move directly into his dream role. In January, he will join the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency as a Microbial Genomics Scientist, continuing the very work he trained for at Queen’s.
Looking back, he says his biggest takeaway is simple.
"Bovine TB isn’t one big outbreak, it’s lots of small local micro-epidemics. Continuing to apply new science and methods and focusing on the regionalisation of control can make the system more effective and less disruptive for farmers and wildlife. My PhD has added evidence for that, and a new tool to help deliver it.”
Ryan now leaves Queen’s with a breakthrough contribution to one of Ireland’s most persistent animal health challenges and with deep appreciation for the training, mentorship and opportunities that helped him get there.