William Hill is distinguished for his theoretical contributions to the study of the population and quantitative genetics of finite populations, in particular with respect to multilocus problems. He was the first to present formulae for the expected association of linked genes in finite populations due to random sampling of gametes and for the estimation of these associations from genotype frequencies. He has made major contributions to the analysis of quantitative variation in random breeding populations, both in the design and interpretation of selection experiments and in the analysis of similarity between relatives. He has applied these concepts in his own selection experiments in the laboratory and in farm animal improvement programmes.
Professor William Hill OBE FRS died on 17 December 2021.
Professional position
- Emeritus Professor of Animal Genetics, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh
Subject groups
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Earth and Environmental Sciences
Agricultural and forest science
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Patterns in Populations
Evolution, Population genetics, Biological statistics
Awards
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Darwin Medal
For his contribution to our understanding of the genetics of quantitative traits and response to selection.
