Matti Leino

Matti Leino is a Researcher at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Culture, Stockholm University. His work bridges archaeobotany, plant genetics, and historical agriculture to study the development of cultivated plants across millennia. He has held this position since 2018 after previous roles at the Nordic Museum (2006-2018), where he focused on Swedish landraces.

• Education: PhD in Plant Breeding (2005, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)
• Methodologies: Specializes in DNA analysis of historical plant material, archaeobotany, and ethnobotany
• Key Projects:
  • 2024-2026: Farmers' attitudes and use of seed exchange systems (Formas-funded)
  • 2018-2020: Crop biodiversity during the 17th century agrarian crisis (Swedish Research Council)
  • 2018-2020: Arctic peas project (NordGen collaboration)
• Research Themes:
  • Genetic continuity in Fennoscandian crops
  • Human-climate-plant interactions
  • Historical seed trade networks
  • Ancient DNA preservation in archaeological contexts
• Publications: Focus on barley evolution, potato onion genetics, and gooseberry diversity across multiple continents and time periods
• Teaching: Instructs archaeobotany components in undergraduate and master's laboratory archaeology courses