Strömvik, Martina
Departmental Chair;
Associate Professor
“My research program focuses on the vast genetic diversity of plants, especially crop and forest wild relatives. Using bioinformatics, we push the size of genomics questions we can ask—and answer!”
Dr. Strömvik leads a bioinformatics research group focusing on complex polyploid genomes of plants (e.g. arctic and temperate Oxytropis sp. (Fabaceae), potato wild relatives (Solanum section Petota, conifers (Pinaceae)). She completed a Ph.D. in Crop Sciences (plant molecular genetics of soybean) at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA), and a B.A. in Theoretical Philosophy as well as a M.Sc. in Biology (tissue culture and transformation in Picea abies) at Stockholm University (Sweden). She carried out postdoctoral studies in Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics at University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (USA) working on genomics projects in soybean, Medicago truncatula and loblolly pine. In 2003 she joined McGill’s Department of Plant Science where she pioneered the development of university-wide graduate bioinformatics programs and courses. She serves on national and international grant panels, as associate editor for several journals, and as chair of the Department of Plant Science since 2015.
- Ph.D. Crop Sciences (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign))
- M.Sc. Biology (Stockholm University)
- B.A. Theoretical Philosophy (Stockholm University)
Plant genomes are different from the human genome in many ways, especially since many plants are polyploid (as opposed to diploid, like humans) and to this end bioinformatics, the computational approaches to analyzing genome data, must often be modified and streamlined. It is crucial for safeguarding food security in a changed climate that we continue to develop crop and forest plants that are resilient to a host of adverse events, pests, and pathogens. Expertise in genomics and bioinformatics is essential for identifying the needed genetic diversity, often found in wild relatives. Professor Strömvik researches this field, and trains the highly qualified personnel who contribute to the future climate-smart crop and forest varieties.
Genome and pan-genome analyses of complex polyploid plants: Plant genomes are highly duplicated and often polyploid. Dr. Strömvik’s group analyzes complex whole genome sequences of soybean (diploidized tetraploid) and several potato relatives (diploids, triploids, tetraploids, pentaploids) for structural variations that are linked to the plant’s phenotype and success in adaptation. One important study was the Solanum section Petota super pan-genome, and the most recent follow-up study on the haplotype phased genomes of potato wild relative S. okadae and other wild potato species.
Adaptation of plants to the Arctic: Dr. Strömvik’s research group studies the genomes of arctic plants, and has explored evolutionary adaptive aspects of several genes. A recent example is a study on the plastomes of Oxytropis arctobia and O. splendens. These discoveries contribute to understanding the molecular mechanisms behind this remarkable plant adaptation to an incredibly harsh habitat, and to positioning potential sustainable crop improvement in a changing climate.
Bioinformatics software and database development: Plant genomes are in many ways very complex and challenging. Bioinformatics tools tailored for plants are needed. Dr. Strömvik’s group has developed several tools including Seeder—an open source de novo motif discovery tool, and most recently Plastaumatic—a tool for assembling batches of plastomes.