Sask Wheat research chair to accelerate crop variety development

Aug 01, 2025

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.

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A survey of 200 independent seed businesses reveals what Canada's seed sector actually contributes — and what it stands to lose.

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On the Brink is a cross-country video series exploring the future of plant breeding in Canada. Each episode features voices from across the industry in an open, ongoing conversation about innovation and long-term investment in Canadian agriculture.