Leader Spotlight

Cristobal Uauy research is focused on using genetics and genomics to identify genes involved in wheat productivity traits – such as grain size and shape, pre-harvest sprouting, and resistance to the wheat yellow rust pathogen. With his team, he aims to understand the mechanisms by which these genes function and to translate this knowledge into improved wheat varieties for growers, industry, and consumers.

Martin Mascher group studies domestication and adaptation processes and their interaction with genetic diversity in crops – mainly barley, wheat and rye – and their wild relatives. Using barley as a model, they apply population genetics methods, genome informatics and gene expression analyses to genome-wide sequence, genetic marker and transcriptome datasets. Martin has been involved in the IWGSC since 2012. His first work on wheat consisted of constructing a POPSEQ map for Synthetic x Opata population, which was part of the chromosome survey sequence publication in Science in July 2014. Most recently, he worked on the IWGSC RefSeq project and in particular, along with Frédéric Choulet and Gabriel Keeble-Gagnère, in the IWGSC Pseudomolecule Task Force. Their work resulted in the production the IWGSC Reference Sequence (IWGSC RefSeq v1.0) that was made available in January 2017 .

Unique in Europe, the CNRGV is a biological resource centre dedicated to plant genomes – centralizing more than 20 million samples (duplicated in two copies) from 40 wild and cultivated species – and a research facility and service provider dedicated to the scientific community. Employing 20 persons, the CNRGV is involved in collaborations with more than 280 public and private laboratories worldwide and attracts projects funded by the French government, the French National Research Agency, and the European Union.

John Jacobs is an Expert Scientist in the Genomics group of the Trait Research organization of Bayer Crop Science . Located in Ghent, Belgium, John has been with Bayer and predecessor companies since 1999. During his career at Bayer, John has been involved in the development of genomic tools, hybrid systems, and yield traits for cotton, rice, and oilseeds and, more recently, wheat.

Frédéric Choulet leads projects in wheat genome sequencing and he is particularly interested in understanding the relationship between genome structure, expression, and evolution, mainly focusing on transposable element dynamics and gene duplications. Fred has been involved in the IWGSC since 2007 as a project leader and joined the Coordinating Committee in 2009. Fred played a key role in the chromosomes 3B sequencing project which culminated with the publication in Science in July 2014 of the first reference sequence of a wheat chromosome. This major achievement established a proof of concept and a template for sequencing the remaining chromosomes. As a result of his work on 3B, Fred became the leader of the IWGSC Pseudomolecule Task Force in 2013.

Sébastien Praud is a Research Manager at Biogemma , a European plant biotechnology company whose mission is to develop genomic tools and markers and to create new genetic variability to support the breeding programs of its shareholding companies – seed companies and field crop producers. Sébastien leads the “Genetics and Genomics in Cereals” team. He manages collaborative projects with institutes, universities and competitors, as well as in-house applied projects to deliver knowledge and tools that can be used by Biogemma shareholding companies in their genetic improvement programs.

Hana Šimková, senior scientist at the Institute of Experimental Botany (IEB) and lecturer at Palacký University (both located in Olomouc in the Czech Republic), is well known for pioneering the development of novel methods of chromosomal genomics in plants, from the preparation of sequencing-ready chromosomal DNA, or high-molecular-weight DNA, to the construction of BAC libraries. Hana has been involved with the IWGSC from the start and is Coordinating Committee member since 2010. She currently leads the reference sequencing project of chromosome arm 7DS.

Hikmet Budak is a Professor in the Molecular Biology, Genetics and Bioengineering Program at Sabanci University, Turkey, where he leads the Plant Genetics and Genomics team. He also serves as an adjunct Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA. His major research foci include biotic and abiotic stress responses in cereals, and the components of stress tolerance mechanisms, including post-transcriptional regulators, such as microRNAs.

Curtis Pozniak is a professor in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan (Canada), a wheat breeder, and a geneticist with the University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre. His work has attracted over $40 million in funding from various sources and, in addition to supervising graduate students, he has authored or co-authored over 50 scientific manuscripts.