Functional genomics · CRISPR screening · Genome editing
Thomas Nelson Harvey
Researcher · Centre for Integrative Genetics (CIGENE), Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
I study how genetic variation gives rise to observable traits, and how that knowledge can support sustainability, animal welfare and disease resistance. I develop high-throughput tools, including genome-wide pooled CRISPR screens and multi-omics approaches, to link genotype to phenotype in domesticated animals such as Atlantic salmon, pigs and cattle. I also work with microorganisms, from engineering microalgae and fungi to produce omega-3 and other valuable fatty acids, to sequencing the unusually large genome of the dinoflagellate Crypthecodinium cohnii.
The dinoflagellate Crypthecodinium cohnii, an industrial producer of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA, with its long flagellum. We are sequencing its unusually large genome. Scale bar: 2 µm. Image: Thomas N. Harvey and Gareth Gillard.
Research focus
More about my research- 01
Genome-wide CRISPR screening in domesticated animals
Switching off every gene, one at a time, to find the ones that matter.
- 02
Host–pathogen interactions and disease resistance
Finding host genes that viruses and bacteria depend on.
- 03
Metabolism and genome regulation in Atlantic salmon
How diet, life stage and genetics shape fat metabolism in salmon.
- 04
Microbial genomics and metabolic engineering
Engineering microorganisms to produce valuable fatty acids.
Selected publications
All publicationsThe role of transposon activity in shaping cis-regulatory element evolution after whole-genome duplication
Genome Research, 35(3), 475–488
Efficient transfection of Atlantic salmon primary hepatocyte cells for functional assays and gene editing
G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 13(4), jkad039