Biodiversity genomics

Contact person: Kjetill S Jakobsen k.s.jakobsen@ibv.uio.no    
Keywords: genome sequencing, bioinformatic pipelines, machine learning, modeling
Research groups: Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (EVOGENE)
Department of Biosciences (IBV), Department of Informatics (IFI), Department of Pharmacy (FAI), Natural History Museum (NHM)
 

Large projects such as The Earth BioGenome project (EBP), European Biodiversity Genomics Atlas (ERGA) and the Vertebrate Genome Project (VGP) are generating genome information at an hitherto unprecedented speed.  In Norway, as in several other countries, a biodiversity genomics initiative has been funded (EBP-Nor; https://www.ebpnor.org). Such biodiversity genomics projects are paving the way for comparative, functional and population genomics efforts coupling genome variation to for example ecological, environmental and climate change. Furthermore, genome assemblies will be exploited for innovations leading to new drugs, biomaterials and medical treatment.  In addition to the biological questions, biodiversity genomics is faced with computational and bioinformatic challenges in handling the vast amounts of data as well as developing effective algorithms and methods for assembly, annotation, comparison and variant calling. This theme is therefore transdisciplinary because statistical, informatic, computational competences are tightly linked to the biological questions and knowledge.

Topics from methodological research: 

  • Bioinformatic pipelines
  • Machine learning and AI
  • Molecular biology methods
  • Modelling environment climate change, biodiversity and genome change
  • Databases, data sharing and handling
  • Population genomic methods (incl. statistics)
  • Phylogenetic approaches
  • Metagenomics

Topics in life science:

  • Identifications of new species and phylogenetic relationships
  • Understanding speciation processes
  • Predicting the effects of climate change on genome evolution
  • One-heath perspective and a better understanding of ecosystem change and zoonotic diseases
  • Development of new drugs and medical treatment
  • Genetic improvement of bioproduction organisms 
  • Marine invertebrates and vertebrates
  • New species for aquaculture
  • New biomaterials and enzymes
  • Biofuels 
  • New software and improved databases for metagenomics

Research team:

External partners:

  • SINTEF
  • Institute of Marine Research (IMR)
  • Oslo University Hospital (OUS)