ABOUT MY RESEARCH
Salmonids have always fascinated me enormously, and I now continue to pursue salmon research at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) as senior scientist. In 2022-2027, I lead a project on thermal performance of juvenile salmon as an Academy Research Fellow. In research conducted by postdoctoral researcher Lucy Cotgrove and PhD candidate Lilian Redon, we test whether the genetic tendency for early vs. late maturation affects the ability of juvenile salmon to maintain performance and growth at high temperatures, which are increasingly prevalent due to climate change. We have also study the thermal tolerance of salmon across its lifecycle in research led by former postdoc Zara-Louise Cowan.
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I completed my PhD in the group of prof Mikko Nikinmaa at the University of Turku in 2016. I then worked at Bucknell University, Pennsylvania, where we (the projects of Profs Ken Field and DeeAnn Reeder) studied the responses of North American bats to the deadly fungal disease White Nose Syndrome. I then joined the group of Anssi Vainikka as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Eastern Finland in 2017, where I studied human-induced evolution and evolutionarily sustainable restoration in brown trout. After this I left Finland again with funding from the Finnish Cultural Foundation as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Liverpool, studying oxygen supply in zebrafish that lacked an important oxygen binding protein, myoglobin. After returning to Finland in 2019, I joined Katja Anttila's group at the University of Turku, before starting a new position with Dr. Tutku Aykanat at the University of Helsinki, where I studied the underpinnings of life-history trait variation in Atlantic salmon.
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If you're interested in a postdoctoral, PhD candidate or Master's student position, or an internship under my supervision, please get in touch by email and we can discuss suitable projects.
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RESEARCH INTERESTS
Atlantic salmon ecology and evolution
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The rivers descending to Bothnian bay, including Tornionjoki and Simojoki in Finland, hold some of the largest Atlantic salmon populations in Baltic sea (the same species lives in the Atlantic and Baltic sea). I take part in the process of data collection and drafting of an assessment of Baltic salmon in the WGBAST, and advice on fishing opportunities by ICES. As part of this data collection, we have access to several datasets from multiple decades of salmon monitoring, which are a great resource for research collaborations.
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Ecological and evolutionary physiology of fish
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Physiological processes can appear infinitely complex, but it is crucial to understand them, as physiological change ultimately drives the changes at the population and species level, whether it is an increase in abundance or extinction. I am particularly keen to understand the effects of extreme temperature events, including heatwaves, which have the potential to dramatically impact our fish populations.
Evolutionary and ecological genomics
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I am fascinated by understanding how the information encoded in the DNA leads to all the phenotypic richness we see in nature. Currently my project focusses on variation in a specific region in the genome of salmon, called the vgll3, and how this region influences salmon physiohy beyond well-established effects on age of maturation.
ADADEMIC SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS AND POSITIONS
ONGOING COLLABORATIONS
Salmon genetics, genomics, and experiments: Evolution, conservation, genetics research group at University of Helsinki.
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Vanishing vitamins project focussing on thiamine deficiency, led by Freya Rowland (USGS).
As the chair of The Working Group on Science to Support Conservation, Restoration and Management of Diadromous Species (WGDIAD), I support a diverse group of scientists and experts working on diadromous species as we work to improve the state of knowledge and quality of assessment of many migratory fishes.
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