Estonian agricultural scientist, Rector of the Estonian University of Life Sciences from January 1, 2023.

Ülle Jaakma has been working at the University of Life Sciences since 1995. Since 2005, she has been working as a professor and senior researcher at the Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry of the Estonian University of Life Sciences. Jaakma has held the position of Vice-Rector for Research of the Estonian University of Life Sciences since 2013. While working as Vice-Rector for Research, she has led the university's development processes and in 2023, she became the Rector of the Estonian University of Life Sciences.

Ülle has observed in an interview about the development of her field: 

In my own field, there are a lot of discoveries related to the possibility of changing or improving the genetic code. About ten years ago, we were working on the issue of animal cloning and, among other things, we managed to create Estonia's first transgenic cow. In the process, we encountered the problem that if we wanted to create an animal that would also produce some medicinal protein in its milk composition, we would need to introduce the gene for the corresponding medicinal protein. We used cloning and nuclear transfer. With this technology, we cannot control very precisely where in the embryo we place the gene encoding the drug. The greatest scientific achievement of recent years is a method that works like molecular scissors. It is called the CRISPR-Cas method, and it is possible to break the DNA chain at a very precise location and move the desired changes to where they are needed most. This tool becomes exceptionally precise. It can also be used, for example, to repair broken or incorrectly coding places in DNA. It is a powerful tool for molecular biology.

Ülle and her team have cloned the first transgenic calf in Estonia. Unfortunately, the calf died. Ülle also works on transplanting embryos containing human growth hormone into cows.

Ülle Jaakmad has been recognized:

1993 – Estonian Republic Science Prize for the development and application of embryo transfer technology

2006 – Estonian Republic Science Prize Annual Award in Agricultural Sciences

2015 – Order of the White Star, 4th Class 

Source: https://novaator.err.ee/1608769573/maaulikooli-rektoriks-sai-ulle-jaakma