Susan McEvoy started in November 2025 as new group leader at UPSC (photo: Anne Honsel).
How is the evolution of forest tree species reflected in their genomes? How can we use this information to understand the forests of today and the future? These questions are at the core of Susan McEvoy’s research. As a new group leader at UPSC and part of the WIFORCE programme at SLU, she aims to translate this research into tools for forest management.
Originally educated as a biologist in Oregon, Susan McEvoy spent many years working in web and software development, building a career in technology.
“I come from a somewhat unconventional background compared to many academics," Susan McEvoy says. “After about fifteen years in this field, I reached a point where I started thinking seriously about shifting toward work I was more passionate about.”
Susan McEvoy had always been interested in plants and forests and, by chance, received an offer from Glenn Howe, a professor in forest genetics at Oregon State University, who was looking for someone with strong computational skills. She decided to take this opportunity and trained in bioinformatics - an experience that convinced her to pursue a PhD and return to academia full time.
A mix of interests and luck
“In many ways, it was a mix of long-standing interests and a bit of luck that brought me to where I am now,” she says.
As someone who loves spending time outdoors, it was impossible for her to ignore the growing pressures on forests. In her research, she investigates how genomics can help to respond to these challenges. Drought stress, pests, and pathogens are increasingly shaping forest health across many species, and this concern directly informs her research focus.
“To better anticipate the future, I am interested in understanding the past, how species' genomes have evolved and adapted, both generally and in regard to important traits," Susan McEvoy says. "Understanding genetic diversity is key, in terms of extent and dynamics within populations, because diversity is what ultimately enables adaptation. Moving forward, I am interested in how this knowledge can be distilled into tools that are useful for forest management.”
Understanding the past to anticipate the future
Her research spans multiple scales - from the genomics of species to populations, using comparisons across many different tree species. Much of her work is computational, based on DNA and RNA sequencing data, and closely tied to biological questions such as gene expression during stress response, and processes involved in genome regulation and evolution.
This sort of work often involves large collaborative efforts.
“I have been involved in international projects that aim to turn complex genetic metrics into accessible resources for managers and policymakers, which is something I care deeply about: how fundamental science can be made usable to inform current challenges,” she says.
Given her research focus, joining UPSC and the Wallenberg Initiatives in Forest Research (WIFORCE) at SLU felt like a natural fit. The programme’s focus on sustainability, long-term thinking, and integrating genetics into forest management, aligned strongly with her values and interests.
“I am also excited by the broader research environment, being surrounded by people working on stress response, adaptation, and plant biology from very different perspectives,” she adds. “My research will contribute to a better understanding of diversity and adaptation at different scales and in different contexts - in Sweden and beyond.”
From fundamental science to useful tools
Already during her postdoc at the University of Helsinki, she benefited from important genomic resources, such as the Scots pine and Norway spruce genomes developed by UPSC researchers. In her new role, she will help to further develop similar resources and communicate what can be learned from them to audiences outside the genetics field, including forest managers, breeders, and policymakers.
Becoming Assistant Professor of Conifer Genomics at SLU and a group leader at UPSC makes her feel both excited and intimidated.
“I am building a research programme from the ground up, in a new country, within an incredibly strong scientific environment,” she says. “It is challenging, but it is also a rare opportunity to shape something meaningful.”
Beyond the science, she is looking forward to settling into Umeå. She describes it as a very diverse city with many international residents and is looking forward to getting to know people, enjoying the cultural life of a university town, hiking in the surrounding area, and exploring Sweden.
Susan McEvoy received a bachelor’s in biology from Oregon State University in 2002. After many years working in web and software development, she became a bioinformatician in forest genetics at Oregon State University. In 2022, she received her PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology from the Plant Computational Genomics Lab of Jill Wegrzyn at the University of Connecticut. She then completed a postdoc in conservation genomics at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden in California, before moving to the University of Helsinki for a second postdoc in population genomics and conservation with Tanja Pyhäjärvi. Susan McEvoy joined UPSC and WIFORCE in November 2025 and is currently setting up her research group.
More information about the Wallenberg Initiatives in Forest Research on the SLU website
For more information, please contact
Susan McEvoy
Umeå Plant Science Centre
Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Email:
https://www.upsc.se/susan_mcevoy