Thomas Tollaksvik. Foto: Privat
Hello! My name is Thomas, and at the beginning of July, I started my 4-year PhD-term here at BIO. My PhD-project is in collaboration with the Fish Immunology Group and is supervised by Anita Rønneseth. The project concerns bacterial kidney disease (BKD) in salmon, which is caused by infection with the intracellular bacteria Renibacterium salmoninarum. While outbreaks were only sporadic in the past, there has been a surge in outbreaks of the disease since late 2022. Our aim is therefore to generate more knowledge regarding the interaction between the bacterium and host cells, the manipulation of the host immune system by the bacterium, and its replication within the salmon’s immune cells.
Growing up along the coast of Vestland, I’ve always been interested in the sea and marine life. Additionally, I’ve always been interested in the life sciences, with a particular fascination with biology at the smallest scales. It’s great to get the opportunity to combine these interests in my PhD-project! Some of you may have seen me before, as I did both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in molecular biology here at the University of Bergen. It’s great to be back at UiB, and I look forward to meeting and working with all of you here at BIO!