Matti Leino

My main research interest lies within the history and evolution of crop plants and I study both extant and historical plants as well as archaeologiocal plant remains. In particular, I am interested in the interactions between humans, plants and climate, and how historical events have affected plant diversity and vice versa. My main study focus is on Nordic crop plants, in particular cereals, legumes and hops and span chronologically from the Iron Age until present. Methodologically I use archaeobotany, ethnobotany and DNA-analyses. I am also active in several projects aiming to describe and preserve historical cultural plants.

My educational background is in agronomy, plant biology and plant genetics. I graduated in 2005 in plant breeding at the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences. The following year I started as postdoc and later on as assistant professor at the Nordic museum. Here I studied Swedish landrace cereals utilizing large 19th century seed herbaria stored at the museum. In addition I studied ethological and historical sources on traditional cereals. The work ended up in the book Spannmål: Svenska lantsorter [Cereals: Swedish landraces] (2017). Since 2018 I work as a researcher at the Archaeological Research Laboratory at Stockholm University. My present research investigate biodiversity in crop plants and how historical and pre-historical have managed their crops during periods of climate or societal change.

I am responsible for the course elements on archaeobotany in the master- and bachelor courses in archaeological science. I also supervise PhD students and Master theses at the department. 

PROJECTS

As principal investigator:

2024-2026: 

Farmers’ attitudes and use of seed exchange systems for maintaining crop biodiversity

. Finansierat av Formas.

2018-2020: 

Crop biodiversity during the 17th century agrarian crisis

. Finansierat av Vetenskapsrådet.

 

As co-applicant:

2023-2030: 

Crisis, Conflict & Climate - societal change in Scandinavia 300-700 CE

. Principal Investigator: Prof. Kerstin Lidén, Stockholm University.

2019-2021: 

National genetic resources for extreme-weather resilient crops. 

Principal Investigator: Prof. Jenny Hagenblad, Linköping University.

2018-2020: Arctic peas. 

Principal investigator: Dr. Ulrika Carlsson-Nilsson, NordGen.