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Sask Wheat research chair to accelerate crop variety development

Studies to focus on applied genomics and pre-breeding strategies.
valentyna-klymiuk
Dr. Valentyna Klymiuk's (PhD) has been appointed as the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission Applied Genomics and Pre-breeding Chair at the University of Saskatchewan.

SASKATOON — Dr. Valentyna Klymiuk (PhD) has been appointed as the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission (Sask Wheat) Applied Genomics and Pre-breeding Chair at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), supporting the development of productive, climate-smart crop varieties.

Funded by Sask Wheat, the position was established to enhance cereal research breeding and training activities in the USask Crop Development Centre (CDC) by accelerating variety development through applied genomics and pre-breeding strategies. 

“As the research chair, Dr. Klymiuk will design and deploy leading-edge strategies and technologies to assess genetic diversity for delivery into new crop varieties that will benefit Saskatchewan producers and the agricultural industry,” said Dr. Angela Bedard-Haughn (PhD), dean of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at USask. “We are grateful to Sask Wheat for investing in USask research as we work to develop the innovative products that strengthen global food security.” 

With a primary focus on wheat, Klymiuk’s research will connect discovery research, gene bank exploration, genomics, and breeding to translate gene discovery into improved varieties for Saskatchewan’s growing conditions. 

“Better adapted wheat varieties give Saskatchewan producers more effective tools in their rotational toolbox,” said Jake Leguee, Chair of Sask Wheat’s Board of Directors. “We strongly believe in public wheat breeding programs and as a producer I have seen first-hand the superior wheat varieties that come from program investments like this research chair. Sask Wheat is proud to fund this research chair to enhance wheat productivity and profitability for our producers.”  

Klymiuk has over ten years of experience in genetics and genomics, specializing in wheat and its wild relatives. Starting the position on Aug. 1, 2025, Klymiuk will hold an assistant professor appointment in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources’ Department of Plant Sciences and CDC and will support undergraduate and graduate student training. 

"The CDC has a proud history of wheat breeding, and we are grateful to Sask Wheat for their support of this new research chair. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Klymiuk to the CDC team,” said Dr. Curtis Pozniak (PhD), director of the USask CDC. “Dr. Klymiuk is a talented early-career researcher, and her passion for innovation will address new challenges as we strive to advance agriculture in western Canada.” 

Klymiuk, who grew up in Ukraine, earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a Master of Science in Biology and a PhD in Hydrobiology from the Donetsk National University in Ukraine. She holds a second PhD from the University of Haifa in Israel, where she studied plant genetics, genomics, pathology, and use of wheat wild relatives to enhance wheat disease resistance. 

“I am thrilled to join the CDC and the College of Agriculture and Bioresources as I work to discover and deploy new traits to support our variety development programs. My vision is to bridge advances in science and technology with applied crop breeding, contributing to the CDC’s mission of delivering superior wheat varieties that strengthen the resilience of the agricultural sector,” said Klymiuk. 

Prior to her appointment, Klymiuk was a research officer in the CDC with Dr. Curtis Pozniak’s (PhD) research team, managing basic and applied research in Fusarium Head Blight resistance breeding. In this role, she utilized genetics and next-generation genomic approaches for gene discovery, characterization and its application in breeding.   

Klymiuk has received numerous awards including the 2019 Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum (WIT) Early Career Award and the 2022 Carlotta Award, which recognizes significant contributions of early-career women researchers to wheat research. 

— Submitted by USask Media Relations

 

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