Markus Stetter

Prof. Dr. Markus Stetter is a Professor at the Botanical Institute of the University of Cologne, Germany, actively leading research in plant domestication genomics within the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences. His work focuses on evolutionary adaptation in crops, particularly amaranth and maize, using population genetics and molecular approaches to decode how wild plants became globally distributed crops.

His research interests include:

• Genomic signatures of domestication
• Population and quantitative genetic modeling
• Molecular mechanisms of trait adaptation
• Theoretical plant biology and data science applications
• Edaphic adaptation in crop-wild relative systems

Analysis of his 2017-2024 publications reveals a dominant focus on amaranth domestication genomics, with recurring themes in evolutionary rescue by wild relatives, inbreeding depression dynamics, and seed trait adaptation. His work integrates high-throughput sequencing with evolutionary theory to address crop resilience under environmental change.

Prof. Stetter co-developed PopAmaranth, a specialized genome browser for amaranth population genetics, and maintains active leadership in CEPLAS Research Area 4 (Theoretical Plant Biology and Data Science). His laboratory utilizes genomic facilities including plant metabolomics and imaging platforms for experimental validation.