Martí Cortey

He obtained his degree in Biology (1997) at the Universitat de Girona where he started his career in population genetics and molecular evolution. He did his master (2000) and the PhD (2005) at the Genetics Unit. During that period, he acquired vast population genetics, phylogeny, molecular evolution and bioinformatics analysis skills and an in deep technological knowledge of sequence, microsatellite and protein loci data generation.

During his first post-doc at CReSA (Barcelona, Spain), he applied his expertise in population genetics and evolution to the Veterinary field. The analysis developed to study vertebrate evolutionary relationships had barely been exploited to study viral evolution and strain distribution. He focused his research in applying these analysis methodologies to Porcine Circovirus type 2, one of the most important pathogens for domestic swine worldwide. In 2010, he moved to the National Veterinary Institute (SVA, Uppsala, Sweden), applying his knowledge on viral genetic variability to the development of new diagnostic tools based on the PCR technology that may have direct applicability in the veterinary field. In 2012, he was awarded with a grant from the Infectiopôle Sud Foundation to deepen his bioinformatics skills in post-doctoral stage training at the Unit of Molecular Virology, Emergence and Viral Co-evolution (UMR CNRS 7268, Marseille, France). He was responsible for designing and automating protocols to detect unknown viruses using Next Generation sequencing technology. In 2013, he started working at the Biosecurity Level 3 facilities of the Pirbright Institute (Pirbright, UK) studying the persistence of foot-and-mouth disease virus in African buffalo. Nowadays, he is a Researcher at IRTA-CReSA (Bellaterra, Spain). Using a multidisciplinary approach, he is working to improve the protective immunity against Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome Virus, in order to enhance the competitiveness of the Spanish swine industry.

He has vast knowledge in virology, population genetics, molecular evolution and bioinformatics, and a deep technological knowledge of Sanger and Next Generation sequencing, that have lots of applications to the veterinary field studying viral evolution, pathogenicity and strain distribution. He actively participated in 10 national and 6 international R&D&I projects funded in competitive calls, he has published more than 50 peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters, and more than 40 oral and poster communications in national and international congresses. He is also a member of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses and the Catalan Society of Biology.