The trial lecture is: "Measuring genomic responses to anthropogenic change in wild populations".
Time and place: May 12, 2023 10:15 AM, Zoom and Nucleus, Bikuben, The Kristine Bonnevie building.
The events will also be live streamed using Zoom. The host of the session will moderate the technicalities while the chair of the defence will moderate the events.
The events opens for participation just before they start, and closes for new participants approximately 15 minutes after it has begun.
Main research findings
Seabird populations worldwide are declining rapidly due to a range of environmental and human-induced stressors. Given the potential of genetic data to help the conservation management of species and ecosystems, my PhD research has focused on understanding the genetic structure of one iconic, yet endangered, seabird species, the Atlantic Puffin. By studying their DNA using whole genome sequencing, I found that there are four genetically distinct groups of puffins throughout their breeding range, and also identified a hybrid population resulting from interbreeding between two of the groups. This hybridization started recently, likely due to a southward range shift of one of the groups exclusively found in the High Arctic, and could be an indicator of future scenarios in the Arctic.
My research has highlighted the importance of using contemporary and historical genomic data to understand population structure and gene flow in seabirds, as well as the genetic basis of phenotypic differences and local adaptation. Given the global biodiversity crisis which is progressing at unprecedented rates, this knowledge should have implications for future conservation management and could help to mitigate the decline of threatened seabird populations.
Candidate contact information
Adjudication committee
David S. Richardson, University of East Anglia
Dr Katerina Guschanski, The University of Edinburgh
Professor Arild Johnsen, University of Oslo
Chair of defence
Professor Finn-Eirik Johansen, University of Oslo
Supervisors
Associate Professor Sanne Boessenkool, University of Oslo
Professor Kjetill S. Jakobsen, University of Oslo