I am a plant geneticist and genomicist with over 14 years of post-PhD research experience at NMBU, specializing in sustainable forage systems and climate-resilient crops. My research contributes to plant breeding by uncovering the genetic basis of key traits such as nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), yield, quality, and stress tolerance (e.g., cold acclimation, freezing tolerance, winter survival). I lead a small research group focused on applying cutting-edge tools including genomics, phenomics, genomic selection, AI/ML-based prediction models, and CRISPR-based functional genomics. In addition to forage crops, I also work on potato, characterizing genes related to late blight resistance and industrial quality traits such as asparagine and glycoalkaloid content.
I have supervised 16 students, including 6 PhD students (2 as main supervisor and 4 as co-supervisor) and 10 master’s students (3 as main, 7 as co-supervisor). I am currently supervising 3 PhD students (1 as main supervisor, 2 as co-supervisor) and 3 master's students (2 as main supervisor, 1 as co-supervisor). I contribute to teaching at NMBU through master's-level courses BIN300 Statistical Genomics and BIO321 Population Genetics, where I integrate hands-on data analysis, genomics, and modern quantitative genetics to train the next generation of researchers.
I am currently Principal Investigator for two externally funded projects—DLT-Farming and NitroGenEdit—and serve as a work package leader in the GE-Sustain project and participant in DeepFarmEdu. I previously contributed to several concluded projects (VARCLIM, GenSelTim, NexTim, EditGrass4Food), where I played central roles in functional genomics, transcriptomics, and predictive breeding approaches. My work bridges foundational research and applied breeding goals, contributing directly to the development of resilient and resource-efficient crop varieties.
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