Job description

I am an MD-PhD currently working as a researcher at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway. I am a member of the research groups MikroPop at the Department of Pharmacy and LacZymes, which is part of the Research Group for Host-Microbe Interactions (HMI). My research centers on bacterial evolution and adaptation, with a particular focus on how pathogenic bacteria evolve during infections and in response to environmental pressures. By combining experimental evolution, molecular biology, and experimental microbiology, my work aims to better understand bacterial evolution in clinically and ecologically relevant contexts.

Biofilm Adaptation: A central theme in my research is how bacteria transition between planktonic and biofilm lifestyles, and how selective pressures in structured environments shape this transition. Using experimental evolution combined with whole-genome sequencing, I study how mutations in regulatory networks (e.g. the c-di-GMP signaling system) facilitate bacterial adaptation and how rewiring of regulatory systems underlies adaptation. In addition, I am interested in how the biofilm lifestyle shapes the evolution of bacteria, but also small genetic entities like mobile genetic elements and antibiotic resistance genes.

Within-Patient Evolution: A second major focus is bacterial evolution during systemic infections. Using serial clinical isolates recovered over the course of infections, I aim to reconstruct evolutionary trajectories and identify adaptive mutations with functional consequences for within-host fitness. This work integrates whole-genome sequencing, functional genetics, and phenotypic analysis to understand the molecular mechanisms driving within-host adaptation.

Infective Endocarditis: I am affiliated with the infectious disease department at the University Hospital of Northern Norway (UNN) and the Northern Norwegian Quality Register for Endocarditis, which aims to improve knowledge about patients diagnosed with and treated for endocarditis in Northern Norway. Infective endocarditis also provides a compelling model system for studying within-host evolution and host-pathogen interaction under intense selective pressure. My research interests in IE span clinical epidemiology, microbial genomics, and experimental infection models, with the aim of identifying microbial and host determinants that influence clinical outcomes.

Current projects include:

- Evolution of Vibrio cholerae biofilms.

- Bidirectional evolution of Klebsiella pneumoniae in human urine.

- Within-host adaptation during infective endocarditis.