Martin Mau
Genomics Laboratory Manager, Omics Resource Centre, WCVMAcademic Credentials
- Diploma (Biology), University of Würzburg/Germany
- PhD in Natural Sciences (with honours), Heidelberg University/Germany
Profile
Dr. Martin Mau (PhD), who joined the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) in May 2024, is the genomics laboratory manager of the new Omics Resource Centre.
Martin's interest in understanding the genetic fundamentals of living organisms and adapting their potential for applications and products. This interest was formed by his upbringing at the Baltic coast in northeastern Germany where nature is abundant and wildlife mostly preserved.
Martin's scientific background is in "white biotechnology" with emphasis on the biophysics of pore-forming proteins in both bacterias and plants. He focused on the genetic principles of asexual reproduction in plants and led several studies on the transmission and geographic distribution of asexuality in plant communities during his studies as a scientific researcher. Martin conducted research at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) in Gatersleben, the University of Heidelberg, and the MPI-CE/Jena.
As manager of the „APOLLO“-project in the frame of a Joint Lab Agreement between the IPK Gatersleben/Germany and the University of Saskatchewan (USask), Martin led experiments to study the effect of mutations in the genetic pathway for female gametogenesis to the structure and function of reproductive organs.
After moving to Canada, Martin held research positions at the USask Global Institute for Food Security and the College of Agriculture and Bioresources' Department of Plant Sciences. His focus was on large-scale, comparative genome studies between native sexual and asexual parental plants and their synthetic offspring to shed light on the genetic factors driving asexual traits.
Martin holds a Diploma (Biology) from the University of Würzburg/Germany and a PhD in Natural Sciences with honours from the Heidelberg University/Germany.
Martin enjoys outdoor adventures and is enthusiastic about his role as volunteer at the YMCA Saskatoon.