
Mr. Sonam Dorji Layrab
Sonam Dorji Layrab
Gender: Male (Mr.)
Nationality: Bhutanese
Contact Number: +975-17361328
Email Address: sonamlayrab@gmail.com/ slayrab.cnr@rub.edu.bt
PRESENT ADDRESS
Lobesa: Punakha District of Bhutan.
Telephone No: +975-17361328
Work Experience
Sl. No | Position | Name of Organisation | From-To (date/month/year) |
1. | Assistant Lecturer | Department of Animal Science; College of Natural Resources; Royal University of Bhutan. Modules: Fundamentals of animal nutrition, Applied Animal Nutrition, Dairy Production, Feed and Fodder Science and Apiculture. | 1st August,2022 to present |
2. | Centre Head, Centre for Sustainable Mountain Agriculture (CSMA) | College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan | 1st July 2025 – Present |
3. | Internship Coordinator for the Department of Animal Science | College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan. | 1st February 2024 – Present |
Degree/Course/School | From (date/month/year) To (date/month/year) | School/College attended | Remarks |
Bachelor of Science in Animal Science | 18/07/2018 to 30/06/2022 | College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan | 78.06% (1st Position in the Cohort) |
Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education. | December 2024 – Nov 2025 | Samtse College of Education. | Ongoing |
- Comparative Efficacy of Different Treatment Regimens for Bovine Papillomatosis. Registration number: CNR/CRG-CSMA/2024/RP-79, Royal university of Bhutan.
- “Assessment of Land Use Land Cover Dynamics and its Impact on Grazing Pressure, Forage Productivity, and Carrying Capacity in Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan.” Seed for Innovation Fund provided by the World Food Forum, Bhutan Chapter. Supervision for Undergrad Research project.
- “Science for Policy: Advancing Implementation of Bhutan’s Agri-Food Strategy 2034 through Inclusive Policy Dialogue.” International Science Council Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific (Australian Academy of Science). PI – Ongoing. Registration number: CNR/AAS-CSMA/2025-26/RP-90.
- “Promoting Healthy Nutrition Habits Training and Research towards NCDs in Mongolia and Bhutan by Establishing Training Hubs.” Funded by European Union. Co-PI- Ongoing. Registration number: CNR/EU-CSMA/2025-26/RP-93.
Award Name | Date | Award Presented By |
Proficiency Award (First Position in B.Sc. Animal Science, Nested 4th batch) | 2022-06-30 | College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan |
Recipient of King’s Certificate for Academic Topper, B.Sc. In Animal Science, 2022. | 2021 | His Majesty the King of Bhutan |
Science and Technology Exhibition for the International Year of Pulses | 2016-05–07 | Royal Education Council, Bhutan |
National STEM Olympiad 2017 | 2017-04-22 | Secretary, Ministry of Education. |
World’s Largest Design for Change School Contest | 2016-07-04 | Director of Riverside School, India |
Layrab, S. D., Rangdrel, K., & Gyelpo, T. (2023). Livestock Depredation and Its Impact on Farmers in Trongsa District, Bhutan. Indonesian Journal of Social and Environmental Issues (IJSEI), 4, 192–201.
Layrab, S. D., Zangmo, T., & Gyelpo, T. (2023). An Assessment of Fertility and Hatchability of Bhutanese Indigenous Chickens using Natural Service and Artificial Insemination. Bhutan Journal of Natural Resources and Development, 10(2).
Choden, J., Penjor, Layrab, S. D., & Thinley, P. (2024). Comparative assessment on growth performance of goldfish (Carassius auratus Linneaus 1758) fed with locally formulated, mixed and imported feed. Bhutan Journal of Animal Science, 8(1).
Zangmo, S., Layrab, S. D., & Thinley, P. (2024). Effect of different stocking densities on the growth performance, survivability and length-weight relationship of juvenile chocolate mahseer, Neolissochilus hexagonolepis (McClelland, 1839). Bhutan Journal of Animal Science, 8(1).
Denkar, K., Lhaden, U., Layrab, S. D., Tsheten, G., & Penjor, T. (2024). Effect of supplementing Azolla pinnata on growth performance of weaned piglets. Bhutan Journal of Animal Science, 8(1).
Taray, Y., Layrab, S. D., & Dorji, N. (2024). Farmers’ Perception of Livestock Extension Service Delivery in Selected Districts of Western Bhutan. Bhutan Journal of Animal Science, 8(1).
Conference Presentations
- Presented on “Assessment of Fertility and Hatchability of Bhutanese Indigenous Chickens using Natural Service and Artificial Insemination” at the Annual Joint Faculty Research Meet at the College of Science and Technology (CST), Bhutan.
Undergraduate Research Project
- Efficacy of Artemisia vulgaris Extract on Endo-parasites of pigs using piperazine citrate as reference drug.
Undergraduate Research Project Supervision (2022-2025)
- Effect of Feeding Brachiaria ruziziensis Grass Silage during Winter on Milk Yield and Composition in Jersey Cross Cattle.
- Comparative Assessment on Growth Performance of Goldfish (Carassius auratus) fed with Locally Formulated and Imported Feed.
- Effect of Different Stocking Densities on the Growth Performance and Survival Rate of Chocolate Mahseer (Neolissochilus hexagonolepis).
- Effect of supplementing Azolla pinnata on growth performance of weaned piglets.
- Farmer’s Perception on Livestock Extension Service Delivery in Western Bhutan.
- Effect of Clove Powder (Syzygium aromaticum) Supplementation in Drinking Water on Production Performance of Ross 308 Broiler Chickens.
- In-vitro antibacterial activity of Artemisia vulgaris extract against Staphylococcus spp. Of bovine mastitis.
- Effect of Substituting Commercial Layer Concentrate with Dried Cassava (Manihot esculenta, Crantz) Leaf Meal on Production Performance and Egg Quality in Hy-line Brown Layers.
- Comparative evaluation of morphological traits, forage yield, and nutrient content of Stampede oat and Fodder oat of Bhutan I (Gangsu 2) as winter fodder in Punakha Dzongkhag.
Training Conducted (as Resource Person)
1. Resource person and Coordinator for “Poultry Nutrition and Feeding: Alternative and Conventional Feeding Systems to Minimise Production Costs.” April 28 to May 08, 2025. Funded by GoI-PTA and provided to 30 participants from DoL, MoAL.
Organization / Institution | Country | Course/ Subject | (date/month/year) |
Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University. | Thailand | Mass spectrometry, LC-TOF, quantitative PCR, molecular cloning, next-generation sequencing, and metagenomic analysis. | July 2025 |
CNR, Royal University of Bhutan | Bhutan | DNA Extraction, gel electrophoresis, PCR, PCR purification, DNA sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis. | Feb 2025 |
CNR, Royal University of Bhutan | Bhutan | Nutrient Analysis of Feed (CP, CF, EE, NFE, ash, DM, moisture, potassium, iron and phosphorus using UV spec and flame photometry. | Oct 2024 |
College of Natural Resources and National Statistical Bureau | Bhutan | Training on Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) | 7/10/2022 – 8/10/2022 |
Centre for Sustainable Mountain Agriculture (CSMA) | Bhutan | Molecular biology and DNA Barcoding of animals: DNA Extraction, Quantification, Amplification of Fish DNA Sample using PCR, including basic bioinformatic tools and software related to molecular taxonomy, and phylogenetics. | 4/12/2022 – 7/12/2022 |
Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research, in collaboration with the College of Natural Resources and Mid-West University, Surkhet, Nepal | Bhutan | Training Workshop on “Integrating Geo-spatial Technologies in Climate- Smart Agriculture Planning and Management” | 15/08/2023 – 18/08/2023 |
edX paid certified course | HarvardX, an online learning initiative of Harvard University | PH125.1x: Data Science: R basics | Issued December 8, 2023 |
edX paid certified course | HarvardX, an online learning initiative of Harvard University | PH125.2x: Data Science: Visualisation | Issued January 9, 2024 |
edX paid certified course | HarvardX, an online learning initiative of Harvard University | PH125.7x: Data Science: Linear Regression | Issued January 21, 2024 |
edX paid certified course | IBM | DV0130: Data Visualisation and Building Dashboards with Excel and Cognos | Issued April 11, 2024 |
Asian Development Bank Institute & College of Natural Resources | Lobesa, CNR | Rapporteur for the conference “The Agriculture-Livestock-Forestry Nexus in Asia: Contributions and Potentials for Improving Farmers’ Livelihood, Soil Health, and Adapting to Mitigating Climate Change” | 2/11/2023- 3/11/2023 |
Asian Development Bank Institute | Bhutan | Rapporteur for the conference “Food and Nutritional Security in Asia – Exploring Challenges and Opportunities” | 18/03/2024 – 19/03/2024 |
ADBI, CNR, CGIAR and Australian Aid | Thimphu, Bhutan | Organising team and rapporteur for the international conference “Climate and Resilient Agriculture for Sustainable Development- Policy, Investment, and Innovation” | 11/03/2025- 15/03/2025 |
- Data analysis using R
- Data analysis using IBM SPSS
- R markdown
- Bioinformatics tools, Basics: Galaxy, MEGA, BioEDIT
- Cartography, suitability modelling, spatial analysis using Arc GIS and Arc GIS Pro.
- Dashboard generation using IBM Cognos Analytics.
- Data analytics using MS Excel.
- Multivariate analysis using PC-ORD
- Basics: LC-MS, LC-TOF, qPCR, ddPCR.
- Survey tools like Survey Solutions, Epicollect, etc. – Website Design (WordPress).
- Animal Nutrition (Alternative feedings, Functional feeds) – Apiculture.
- Methane Abatement (Feed based mitigation, ruminant microbiome) – Dairy science and Poultry Science.
- Feed and Fodder Science (Integrated systems)
- Rangeland management (Restoration ecology, carbon sequestration and carrying capacity).