Sébastien Clément

Image Sébastien Clément
Biologist

As a biologist and bioinformatician in the genomics team of the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC), my role is to manage and analyze data on trees, at the genetic level (genotypes) and in their physical characteristics (phenotypes). Therefore, I develop databases such as TreeSource, the national platform for wood and trees quality, which holds nearly 7500 forestry research sites across Canada. I also develop computer programs to transform and analyze data received from service providers (e.g. genotyping data, SilviScan data, etc.).

Current research and/or projects

Principal project: manage and develop TreeSource. The goal of this national database is to regroup the largest collection of information on wood and trees quality in economically important species in Canada. Data available go from detailed description (geo-location, topography, ecology, soil properties, etc.) of about 7 500 forestry research sites across Canada, to microscopic tree physico-mechanical properties (wood density, microfibril angle, tracheid dimensions, etc.). Nearly 500 000 trees from 45 species have detailed individual measurements.

This project is an essential service to several significant research themes at the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre:

Silviculture, resource evaluation, genomics and growth and yield modeling.

Research and/or project statements

TreeSource contributes to the conservation and dissemination of science for the whole forest sector: the industry, academia, federal and provincial governments.

It contains exclusive information on wood quality, including physico-mechanical wood properties on nearly 11 000 trees, a unique reference on the topic.

 

Professional activities / interests

  • Databases
  • Biology
  • Programming
  • Students supervising

 

Education and awards

  • Dispositifs expérimentaux, Université Laval, 2017
  • PostgreSQL Administration Certification, EnterpriseDB, 2014
  • Modèles et langages de bases de données, Université Laval, 2008
  • M.Sc. Microbiology, Université de Montréal, 1998
  • B.Sc. (Hon.) Animal Science, McGill University, 1995

Key publications

BMC Genomics 18:335 (2017) |DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3715-5
Factors affecting the accuracy of genomic selection for growth and wood quality traits in an advanced-breeding population of black spruce (Picea mariana)
Patrick R.N. Lenz, Jean Beaulieu, Shawn D. Mansfield, Sébastien Clément, Mireille Desponts and Jean Bousquet
https://bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12864-017-3715-5

Heredity 113, 343-352 (October 2014) | doi:10.1038/hdy.2014.36
Accuracy of genomic selection models in a large population of open-pollinated families in white spruce 
J Beaulieu, T Doerksen, S Clément, J MacKay and J Bousquet

Molecular Ecology Resources. 2013 Mar;13(2):324-36.
Development of high-density SNP genotyping arrays for white spruce (Picea glauca) and transferability to subtropical and nordic congeners.
Pavy N, Gagnon F, Rigault P, Blais S, Deschênes A, Boyle B, Pelgas B, Deslauriers M, Clément S, Lavigne P, Lamothe M, Cooke JE, Jaramillo-Correa JP, Beaulieu J, Isabel N, Mackay J, Bousquet J.

Genetics. 2011 May;188(1):197-214. Epub 2011 Mar 8.
Association genetics of wood physical traits in the conifer white spruce and relationships with gene expression.
Beaulieu J, Doerksen T, Boyle B, Clément S, Deslauriers M, Beauseigle S, Blais S, Poulin PL, Lenz P, Caron S, Rigault P, Bicho P, Bousquet J, Mackay J.

Tree Genetics & Genomes 2010; 6(3):435-438.
TreeSNPs: a laboratory information management system (LIMS) dedicated to SNP discovery in trees.
Clément S, Fillon K, Bousquet J, Beaulieu J.

J Biol Chem. 2003 Mar 14;278(11):9698-705. Epub 2002 Dec 24.
Lipoprotein lipase affects the survival and differentiation of neural cells exposed to very low density lipoprotein.
Paradis E, Clement S, Julien P, Ven Murthy MR.

FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1997 Jul 15;152(2):307-12.
Expression of P, S, and F1C adhesins by cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1-producing Escherichia coli from septicemic and diarrheic pigs.
Dozois CM, Clément S, Desautels C, Oswald E, Fairbrother JM.