Functional genomics
Research
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.
01
Genome-wide CRISPR screening in domesticated animals
A CRISPR knockout screen disables thousands of genes in parallel in a population of cells and then asks which knockouts change how the cells behave – whether they survive, grow, or resist infection. The approach has transformed human and mouse biology, but has hardly been used in livestock and fish.
Our group has built genome-wide CRISPR screening platforms for pig and cattle cells, including one of the first maps of essential genes across a livestock genome. Together with methods for efficient gene delivery and editing in salmon cells, this work now underpins the PetriFish project, which brings genome-wide screening to Atlantic salmon.
Related publications 5
02
Host–pathogen interactions and disease resistance
Infectious disease is one of the largest challenges for animal welfare and sustainability in aquaculture and livestock farming. Today, disease resistance in salmon breeding is largely measured by challenge testing – deliberately infecting fish. Cell-based screens could identify resistance genes faster and reduce the need for such tests.
Our group uses gene knockouts and transcriptomics to study how salmon cells respond to viruses such as ISAV and IPNV, how interferon signalling shapes antiviral defence, and how pig cells interact with bacterial toxins.
Related publications 3
03
Metabolism and genome regulation in Atlantic salmon
Salmon farming increasingly relies on plant-based feeds, which changes the supply of omega-3 fatty acids that make salmon a healthy food. My PhD and subsequent work combined transcriptomics, lipidomics and regulatory genomics to understand how salmon regulate lipid metabolism across life stages and diets.
This included developing a liver slice culture system for studying metabolism outside the fish, mapping the regulatory landscape of the liver through smoltification, and linking genomic predictions of fillet fat to underlying changes in gene regulation.
Related publications 12
04
Microbial genomics and metabolic engineering
Before moving to academia, I spent four years in industry at DSM Nutritional Products studying how microalgae and fungi make polyunsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3 DHA and arachidonic acid, and designing strategies to increase their production.
I continue this line of work through a collaboration to sequence and annotate the unusually large genome of the dinoflagellate Crypthecodinium cohnii, an industrially important producer of DHA.