I have a background in Natural Sciences and Marine Ecology. My current research interests focus on anthropogenic impacts on marine systems, fisheries ecology and the impacts of management measures on both the system itself and the resource users.
I am using modelling tools to address these type of questions, including population models and ecosystem models, spatial models and bioeconomic models.
In my PhD I am exploring the application of spatial management measures to Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in the North Sea, focusing on, but not restricting to, Marine reserves and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). I am focusing on several aspects:
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the applicability of ecosystem models (Ecopath with Ecosim) by evaluating the performance of the spatial predictions of Ecospace (the spatial routine of Ecopath with Ecosim) under varying assumptions;
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the use of stock-recruitment curves that incorporates both environmental variables (such as temperature) and the spatial structure of the stock;
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the management consequences of inclusion (or lack thereof) of fine-scale spatial stock structure;
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the effect of MPA design on an inshore cod population in Southern Norway.
In general, I am interested in any ecological question with a focus on marine and aquatic ecology (for example, I have an interest in elasmobranch ecology and in deep water ecosystems). Furthermore, I believe that interaction between scientists of different disciplines is the avenue to advance the management of socio-ecological systems. I am therefore increasingly interested in the integration between the socio-economic and the ecological component of marine systems. I am also learning to communicate and collaborate effectively with scientists from a variety of disciplines, thanks to the multidisciplinary environment of the NorMER and CEES research groups, and to my research visit at the Dept. of Economics and Management of the University of Helsinki.
My ambition for the future is to apply these qualification and assume the role of “mediator” between disciplines, playing thus a key role in interdisciplinary research, while at the same time maintaining a focus on ecological research.
My PhD project is part of NorMER, and supervised by Prof. Nils Chr. Stenseth and Dr. Anne Maria Eikeset.