People
We welcome students, postdoctoral researchers, and visiting researchers who are interested in evolutionary, population, and functional genomics.
Principal investigator
Marie Saitou, PhD
Principal investigatorMarie Saitou established the Saitou Lab at NMBU in 2020. She previously held postdoctoral positions in genetic medicine at the University of Chicago and in evolutionary genomics at the University at Buffalo. She received her PhD in Biological Anthropology from the University of Tokyo in 2017.
Her research combines evolutionary, population, comparative, and functional genomics to study structural variation, gene regulation, adaptation, and the evolution of biological diversity.
Research profiles: ORCID · Google Scholar
Social: researchmap · ResearchGate · LinkedIn · Bluesky
Prospective students
Rytis Plioplys
MSc studentRytis is an MSc student in Genome Science at NMBU. His thesis explores the association between telomere length and epigenetic aging in pregnant women using data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa).
Co-supervision: Yunsung Lee (Norwegian Institute of Public Health)
Abu Rahad
MSc studentRahad is an MSc student in the European Joint Master’s in Animal Biodiversity and Genomics (EMABG), NMBU–WUR track. His thesis will focus on identifying and prioritizing cattle genes for increased resistance to bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), integrating CRISPR screening results, single-cell expression data, genetic variation, and CRISPR guide design.
Co-supervision: Victor Boyartchuk (Norwegian University of Life Sciences)
Alumni
Célian Diblasi, PhD
Completed PhDStructural variants, regulatory evolution, dosage compensation, and eQTLs after whole-genome duplication in Atlantic salmon. Subsequently appointed at Lund University.
Co-supervision: Nicola J. Barson and Simen R. Sandve
Thesis: Structural variants and whole genome duplication in Atlantic salmon evolution
Representative publications
Large-scale eQTL analyses in Atlantic salmon reveal persistent dosage compensation 100 million years after genome duplication
bioRxiv · 2025 · Preprint
Ancient persistence and recurrent emergence of structural variants across divergent Atlantic salmon lineages
bioRxiv · 2026 · Preprint
Beyond inversions and deletions: the evolutionary and functional insights from translocations, fissions, and fusions in animal genomes
Heredity · 2025
Domniki Manousi, PhD
Completed PhDThe genomic basis of pathogen response, virus resistance, and immune-gene evolution in Atlantic salmon. Subsequently appointed as a postdoctoral researcher at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh.
Co-supervision: Sigbjørn Lien and Simen R. Sandve
Thesis: Genomic Basis of Pathogen Response and Immune Gene Evolution in Atlantic Salmon
Award: Best Flash Talk Prize at the 5th International Conference on Integrative Salmonid Biology (2024)
Representative publications
Dissecting the genetic basis of response to salmonid alphavirus in Atlantic salmon
BMC Genomics · 2025
Gene gain and loss drive the diversification of gig immune genes in teleosts: structural and regulatory insights from Atlantic salmon
Fish & Shellfish Immunology · 2026
Maëlys Chapis
Master’s internGraph-genotyped structural variants and regulatory haplotypes associated with gene expression in Atlantic salmon.
Representative publication
Imputed graph-genotyped structural variants identify regulatory haplotypes associated with gene expression in Atlantic salmon
bioRxiv · 2026 · Preprint
Erik Sandertun Røed
Master’s studentGenetic and epigenetic tools for conservation monitoring of European lobster. Subsequently appointed as a PhD candidate at the University of Oslo.
Co-supervision: Louise Chavarie
Award: NMBU’s university-wide Best Master’s Thesis Award (2024)
Representative publication
Resampling-based evaluation of a 79-SNP panel for hybrid classification across generations: a case study in European lobster (Homarus gammarus)
G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics · 2026
Jun Soung Kwak, PhD
Postdoctoral researcherFunctional genomics of regulatory evolution and vertebrate circadian-rhythm genes. Subsequently appointed Assistant Professor at Kongju National University, South Korea.
Co-supervision: Guro K. Sandvik
Representative publication
Functional and regulatory diversification of Period genes responsible for circadian rhythm in vertebrates
G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics · 2024
Akira Harding
Master’s internMetatranscriptomic analysis of host RNA-seq data to characterize microbial dynamics before disease onset in Atlantic salmon aquaculture.
Co-supervision: Arturo Vera Ponce De Leon
Representative publication
Metatranscriptomic Insights into Microbial Dynamics Prior to Disease Onset in Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture
bioRxiv · 2025 · Preprint
Pauline Buso
Master’s internParallel selection in domesticated Atlantic salmon from divergent founder populations, with emphasis on whole-genome-duplication-derived regions.
Co-supervision: Nicola J. Barson
Representative publication
Parallel Selection in Domesticated Atlantic Salmon from Divergent Founders Including on Whole-Genome Duplication-derived Homeologous Regions
Genome Biology and Evolution · 2025