The MSL Welcomes New Faculty Member Dr. Marco Todesco

Dr. Marco Todesco, credit: Paul Joseph

It is with immense enthusiasm that we welcome Dr. Marco Todesco to the Michael Smith Laboratories as a new faculty member in the field of Plant Bioengineering. He will hold joint appointments as an Assistant Professor with the Department of Botany and the Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science UBC Okanagan.  

Dr. Todesco brings with him a great passion for science and a wealth of knowledge in the Plant Bioengineering field. He uses a combination of molecular and developmental biology, quantitative genetics, genomics and field experiments to identify the genetic and molecular basis of diversity and adaptation in plants, with the goal of translating this knowledge towards crop improvement. 

Having completed his PhD in Genetics at the Max Plank Institute for Developmental Biology and Heberard Karls Universität Tübingen, Germany, Dr. Todesco continued his work there as a Postdoctoral Fellow. He joined the University of British Columbia as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2013 and went on in 2017 to work as a Research Associate in the Department of Botany and as a member of the Biodiversity Research Centre.  

Dr. Todesco’s work has garnered him many accolades including the Wilhelm Pfeffer Award of the German Botanical Society and Otto Hahn Medal of the Max Planck Society. His recent research project on the “Fast-track breeding of powdery mildew-resistant cannabis” won him 4.2 million in funding from Genome Canada. And his work on the genetic basis of adaptation in wild sunflowers, published in prestigious journals such as Nature and eLife, has received broad coverage from local media to National Geographic Magazine. 

“I am thrilled and honoured to be joining the MSL – with its focus on interdisciplinary and translational science, it is the perfect place to continue and expand my research. I am looking forward to working and collaborating with the fantastic scientists at MSL and UBC,” shares Dr. Todesco. 

With numerous publications, awards and an outstanding research track record, his exciting and forward-looking research program will undoubtedly enrich the MSL community.  

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Todesco to the MSL. We look forward to a bright, collaborative future ahead together. 

Quick links: 

• View Dr. Marco Todesco’s faculty profile 
• Learn more about the Todesco lab 
• Read Dr. Todesco’s eLife publication: Genetic basis and dual adaptive role of floral pigmentation in sunflowers 
• Read Dr. Todesco’s Nature publication: Massive haplotypes underlie ecotypic differentiation in sunflowers