Initially trained in molecular genetics he then moved to genetics. In the 1980s, together with Prof. M. Soller from the Hebrew Univ, they pioneered the use of marker-assisted genetic improvement in plants and animals, focusing on Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs). During those years he collaborated with Prof. D. Cohen, J. Weissenbach, M. Lathrop, J. Dausset and others and contributed significantly to the elaboration of genetic, physical and gene maps of the human genome, as well as to the positional cloning of a number of disease loci, many of which are involved in muscular dystrophy. Prof. Beckmann has published over 390 scientific peer-reviewed articles in molecular genetics, genetics and genomics, and has an ISI H-index of 86. He has served on the editorial boards of a number of scientific journals. His research interests include genomic disorders, pharmacogenetics as well as the genetic basis of complex traits.