Bilde av Wood, Shona
Bilde av Wood, Shona
Department of Arctic and Marine Biology shona.wood@uit.no +4777644784 You can find me here

Shona Wood


Associate professor in Arctic chronobiology and physiology

Job description

Aurora centre deputy director - Arctic seasonal timekeeping initiative (ASTI)


  • Vebjørn Jacobsen Melum, Cristina Sáenz de Miera, Fredrik Andreas Fasth Markussen, Fernando Cazarez Marquez, Catherine Jaeger, Simen Rød Sandve et al.:
    Hypothalamic tanycytes as mediators of maternally programmed seasonal plasticity
    Current Biology 2024 DOI
  • Chiara Ciccone, Fayiri Kante, Lars Folkow, David Grey Hazlerigg, Alexander Christopher West, Shona Hiedi Wood :
    Circadian coupling of mitochondria in a deep-diving mammal
    bioRxiv 2023 DOI
  • David Grey Hazlerigg, Barbara Mizumo Tomotani, Alexander Christopher West, Daniel Appenroth, Shona Hiedi Wood :
    Biological timekeeping in polar environments: lessons from terrestrial vertebrates
    Journal of Experimental Biology 2023 ARKIV / DOI
  • Alexander Christopher West, Yasutaka Mizoro, Shona Wood, Louise M. Ince, Marianne Iversen, Even Hjalmar Jørgensen et al.:
    Immunologic Profiling of the Atlantic Salmon Gill by Single Nuclei Transcriptomics
    Frontiers in Immunology 2021 ARKIV / DOI
  • Fredrik Andreas Fasth Markussen, Vebjørn Jacobsen Melum, Beatrice Bothorel, David Hazlerigg, Valérie Simonneaux, Shona Wood :
    A refined method to monitor arousal from hibernation in the European hamster
    BMC Veterinary Research 2021 ARKIV / DOI
  • Shona Hiedi Wood, Matthew Hindle, Yasutaka Mizoro, Y. Cheng, Ben Saer, K Miedzinska et al.:
    Circadian clock mechanism driving mammalian photoperiodism
    Nature Communications 2020 ARKIV / DOI
  • Alexander Christopher West, Marianne Iversen, Even Hjalmar Jørgensen, Simen Rød Sandve, David Hazlerigg, Shona Hiedi Wood :
    Diversified regulation of circadian clock gene expression following whole genome duplication
    PLoS Genetics 2020 ARKIV / DOI
  • Jayme van Dalum, Vebjørn Jacobsen Melum, Shona Hiedi Wood, David Hazlerigg :
    Maternal photoperiodic programming: Melatonin and seasonal synchronization before birth
    Frontiers in Endocrinology 2020 ARKIV / DOI
  • Alexander Christopher West, Yasutaka Mizoro, Shona Hiedi Wood, Marianne Iversen, Louise Ince, Even Jørgensen et al.:
    A single nuclei transcriptomic analysis of the Atlantic salmon gill through smoltification and seawater transfer
    bioRxiv 2020 DOI
  • Hugues Dardente, Shona Hiedi Wood, Francis Ebling, Cristina Sáenz de Miera :
    An integrative view of mammalian seasonal neuroendocrinology
    Journal of neuroendocrinology 2019 DOI
  • Hugues Dardente, Shona Hiedi Wood, Francis Ebling, Cristina Sáenz de Miera :
    An integrative view of mammalian seasonal neuroendocrinology
    Journal of neuroendocrinology 2019 ARKIV / DOI
  • Shona Hiedi Wood, Alexander Christopher West :
    Seasonal physiology: making the future a thing of the past
    Current Opinion in Physiology 2018 DOI
  • Shona Hiedi Wood :
    How can a binary switch within the pars tuberalis control seasonal timing of reproduction?
    Journal of Endocrinology 2018 ARKIV / DOI
  • Didier Lomet, Benoit Piegu, Shona Hiedi Wood, Hugues Dardente :
    Anti-angiogenic VEGFAxxxb transcripts are not expressed in the medio-basal hypothalamus of the seasonal sheep
    PLOS ONE 2018 ARKIV / DOI
  • Shona Wood :
    Neuroendocrine clocks and calendars
    Springer Nature 2021
  • Shona Hiedi Wood :
    Torpor arousal cycling during hibernation
    2023
  • Shona Wood, Vebjørn Jacobsen Melum, David Hazlerigg, Valérie Simonneaux :
    Extensive and divergent changes in tanycyte phenotype in response to gestational photoperiod
    2022
  • Shona Wood, Vebjørn Jacobsen Melum, David Hazlerigg :
    Early life effects of hypothalamic thyroid hormone environment on the differentiation and biosensing properties of tanycytes
    2022
  • Chiara Ciccone, Fayiri Kante, David Grey Hazlerigg, Lars Folkow, Alexander Christopher West, Shona Hiedi Wood :
    Circadian clockwork and mitochondrial metabolism in a diving mammal: a link between hypoxia tolerance and time of the day
    2022
  • Chiara Ciccone, Fayiri Kante, David Hazlerigg, Lars Folkow, AC West, Shona Wood :
    Circadian clockwork and mitochondrial metabolism in a diving mammal: clues to hypoxia tolerance?
    2021
  • Shona Wood :
    A clock for all seasons
    2021
  • Shona Hiedi Wood :
    Circadian clock mechanism driving mammalian photoperiodism
    2020
  • Shona Hiedi Wood :
    Epigenetics in seasonal time keeping
    2020
  • Shona Hiedi Wood, David Hazlerigg :
    RESEARCH VISIT TO THE INSTITUTE OF WILDLIFE ECOLOGY IN VIENNA
    2019
  • Shona Hiedi Wood, David Hazlerigg :
    NEW SENTINEL NORTH PROJECT ON BIOLOGICAL CLOCKS AND SEASONAL SYNCHRONISATION IN THE ARCTIC
    2019
  • Shona Hiedi Wood :
    Chromatin immunoprecipitation workshop
    2019
  • Shona Hiedi Wood :
    ARCTIC CHRONOBIOLOGY PLOS BIOLOGY ESSAY REACHES OVER 7500 READS IN ONE MONTH
    2019
  • Shona Hiedi Wood :
    ARCTIC CHRONOBIOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY AWARDED TWO AURORA MOBILITY PROGRAMME GRANTS FROM THE RESEARCH COUNCIL OF NORWAY
    2019
  • Shona Hiedi Wood, David Hazlerigg :
    A MAJOR EUROPEAN INITIATIVE IN HIBERNATION RESEARCH
    2019
  • Shona Hiedi Wood, David Hazlerigg :
    SYNCHROSMOLT: 15MILLION NOK AWARDED TO IMPROVE SMOLT HEALTH THROUGH CHRONOBIOLOGY AND GENETICS
    2019
  • Shona Hiedi Wood :
    Lecture on seasonal timekeeping in mammals at the European society for biological rhythms research in Lyon
    2019
  • Shona Hiedi Wood :
    Fish and Chips - report on ChIP workshop at NMBU
    2019
  • Shona Hiedi Wood, David Hazlerigg :
    EUROPEAN BIOLOGICAL RHTYHMS SOCIETY MEETING IN LYON
    2019
  • Shona Hiedi Wood :
    A binary switch mechanism operating in the pituitary controls seasonal reproduction
    2018
  • Shona Hiedi Wood, David Hazlerigg :
    Forskingsdagene: Dyret Kalendar
    Forskingsdagene 2018
  • Shona Hiedi Wood :
    https://sites.google.com/site/shonawoodresearch/
    2018
  • Shona Hiedi Wood :
    PHD: ROLE OF TANYCYTES IN SEASONAL TIME-KEEPING – NOW TAKING APPLICATIONS
    2018
  • Vebjørn Jacobsen Melum, David Hazlerigg, Shona Hiedi Wood :
    Dyrenes kalenderstyrte utvikling
    26. September 2018
  • Shona Hiedi Wood :
    SEASONAL PHYSIOLOGY: MAKING THE FUTURE A THING OF THE PAST
    2018
  • Shona Hiedi Wood :
    UIT AND TROMSØ FORSKNINGSSTIFTELSES (TFS) LAUNCH THE AURORA OUTSTANDING TO SUPPORT UIT'S FUTURE LEADING RESEARCHERS
    2018
  • Shona Hiedi Wood :
    Epigenetics of Seasonal Timing in the Pituitary
    2018

  • The 50 latest publications is shown on this page. See all publications in Cristin here →

    Publications outside Cristin

    Selected publications

    Full list here

    1. Wood, S. H., M. M. Hindle, Y. Mizoro, Y. Cheng, B. R. C. Saer, K. Miedzinska, H. C. Christian, et al.
    2020. “Circadian Clock Mechanism Driving Mammalian Photoperiodism.” Nature Communications 11 (1):
    4291. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18061-z. 

    2. West, A.C., M. Iversen, E.H. Jørgensen, S.R. Sandve, D.G. Hazlerigg, and S.H. Wood*. 2020. “Diversified
    Regulation of Circadian Clock Gene Expression Following Whole Genome Duplication.” PLoS Genetics 16
    (10). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1009097 

    3. Markussen, Fredrik A S, Vebjorn J Melum, Beatrice Bothorel, David G Hazlerigg, Valerie Simonneaux,
    and Shona H Wood*. A refined method to monitor arousal from hibernation in the European hamster. BMC
    Vet Res 17, 14 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-020-02723-7


    4. Wood, S. H.* The pars tuberalis and seasonal timekeeping. in Neuroendocrine Clocks and Calendars (eds.
    Ebling, F. J. P. & Piggins, H. D.) vol. 10 33–53 (Springer International Publishing, 2020).

    5. Wood, S.H., H.C. Christian, K. Miedzinska, B.R.C. Saer, M. Johnson, B. Paton, L. Yu, et al. 2015. “Binary
    Switching of Calendar Cells in the Pituitary Defines the Phase of the Circannual Cycle in Mammals.” Current
    Biology 25 (20). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.09.014. 

    6. West, A.C., Mizoro, Y., Wood. S. H., Ince, L.M., Iversen, M., Jørgensen, E.H., Nome, T., Simen Rød
    Sandve, Samuel AM Martin, Andrew SI Loudon, David G Hazlerigg, 2021, “Immunologic Profiling of the
    Atlantic Salmon Gill by Single Nuclei Transcriptomics”, Frontiers in immunology, 12: 1480
    https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.669889. 

    7. Wood, S.H., Loudon, A.S.I., 2014, Clocks for all seasons: unwinding the roles and mechanisms of circadian
    and interval timers in the hypothalamus and pituitary, Journal of Endocrinology, 222 (2): R39-R59
    https://doi.org/10.1530/JOE-14-0141

    8. Wood, S.H., van Dam, S., Craig, T., Tacutu, R., O’Toole, A., Merry, B.J., de Magalhães, J.P., Transcriptome
    analysis in calorie-restricted rats implicates epigenetic and post-translational mechanisms in neuroprotection and aging. Genome Biol. 16, 285 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-015-0847-2

    9. Wood, S. H., Craig, T., Li, Y., Merry, B. & de Magalhães, J. P. Whole transcriptome sequencing of the
    aging rat brain reveals dynamic RNA changes in the dark matter of the genome. Age (Dordr). 35, 763–76
    (2013). 10.1007/s11357-012-9410-1

    10. S. van Dam, R. Cordeiro, T. Craig, J. van Dam, S.H. Wood, J.P. de Magalhães , GeneFriends: An online
    co-expression analysis tool to identify novel gene targets for aging and complex diseases. BMC Genomics 13, 535 (2012).


    Research interests

    Accurate timing and anticipation of seasonal changes is required to initiate physiological adaptations over the course of the year such as hibernation, changes in metabolism, fattening and reproductive activity. To achieve this, organisms have evolved complex seasonal timekeeping systems that rely on day length sensing (photoperiodism), coupled to innate long-term timers ("circannual clock"). The fundamental biological processes giving rise circannual rhythms are not known for any organism. This is a highly integrative topic of wide relevance, integrating multiple levels of understanding from genome to ecosystem. Within this area, my specific interests are:

    • The cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in seasonal timekeeping processes
    • The adjustment of homeostatic set points in physiology (rheostasis)
    • The function of a specialised cell type in the hypothalamus, the tanycyte, in the above processes
    • The use of hibernation and maternal photoperiodic programming to investigate the above processes

    Current projects:

    • Arctic seasonal timekeeping initiative (ASTI), role:  Deputy director

    ASTI is a capacity-building project to establish UiT as a centre of excellence for research into seasonal timekeeping mechanisms. This fills a strategic gap in chronobiology research worldwide, and is an excellent fit to UiT as the world’s northernmost research university. See the website for themes and specific research projects: https://uit.no/research/asti

    • Tromsø Forskningsstiftelse (TFS) starter grant: Epigenetic light, role: project leader

    Website. The project aim was establish my lab in seasonal timekeeping and hibernation at the university of Tromsø. Specific areas of research were the epigenetic basis of seasonal timing, the role of circadian clocks in seasonal timekeeping, and maternal photoperiodic programming effects.

    • Sentinel North Transdisciplinary Research Program Université
      Laval and UiT, The role of circadian clocks in seasonal synchrony in the Arctic, role: Co-PI

    This is a comparative circadian/seasonal clockwork project with an emphasis on birds, fish and diatoms.

    • Clocks and hypoxia: Linking oxygen to time, role: Co-PI

    This is a project investigating the role of circadian clocks and hypoxia in a
    diving mammal (hooded seal) . It uses high-resolution respirometry of mitochondria, astrocyte/neuronal culture techniques, and lentiviral
    reporters to unpick responses to hypoxia in a highly hypoxia-tolerant
    animal.

     

    Teaching

    I have been assessed by pedagogisk mappe to have basic competence in teaching. I have taught in molecular biology, chronobiology and physiology since 2004.

    At UiT I have coordinated BIO-3014 and co-piloted BIO2310. Currently I teach on BIO-3030 and BIO-3014. I have extensive project supervision experience.




    CV

    PERSONAL INFORMATION
    Family name, First name: Wood, Shona
    Researcher unique identifier(s): orcid.org/0000-0002-8273-4045
    Date of birth: 21st October 1982
    Nationality: British
    URL for web site: uit.no/research/asti

    RESEARCH TRACK RECORD

    I moved to Norway in 2017, having previously worked as a Research Co-investigator in the world leading centre for Biological Timing (2015-Sept 2017) at Manchester University. There, I co-led a research program
    focused on circannual timer mechanisms, alongside Professor Andrew Loudon (University of Manchester) and Professor David Burt (Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh). Within this setting, I gained considerable experience in combining long term in vivo studies, endocrine physiology and cutting edge transcriptomic and epigenomic approaches. This combined approach continues to be a hallmark of my research philosophy. I have now been running my lab at the University of Tromsø for 4.5 years, funded by a Tromsø Forskningsstiftelse (TFS) Research Fellowship (€2.5 million, started October 2017), Fonds Paul Mandel pour
    les recherches en neurosciences (2019 €36000), Norwegian research council travel award (€8000) and the Aurora outstanding fund (€25000). In 2019, I took a strategic decision to focus on hibernation, leading to the
    establishment of Norway’s first hibernation research facility. 
    In 2020, I became co-director of the Arctic seasonal timekeeping initiative (ASTI). This is a large strategic investment (approx. 2.3 million euros) by UiT to develop a centre for seasonal timekeeping. ASTI provides the highest critical mass of researchers working on seasonal physiology in the world. Within ASTI we have excellent light- and temperature-controlled facilities for animals, cell culture, surgery and molecular biology facilities. 


    EDUCATION
    2010 Ph.D, Veterinary Sciences, University of Liverpool, UK
    2004 B.Sc (Hons), Zoology, University of Wales, Bangor, UK


    CURRENT POSITION(S)
    2022 – to date Associate Professor, Arctic seasonal timekeeping initiative (ASTI), Faculty of Biosciences, fisheries & economics, Department of Arctic & Marine Biology, UiT –The Arctic University of Norway

    2017-to date Honorary lecturer, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, University of Manchester, UK


    PREVIOUS POSITIONS

    2017- 2021 Independent Research Fellow, Faculty of Biosciences, fisheries & economics, Department of Arctic & Marine Biology, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway

    2013-2017 Post-doctoral Researcher, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, University of Manchester, UK

    2010-2013 Post-doctoral Researcher, Biosciences, University of Liverpool, UK

    2005-2006 Research Technician, Medical faculty, University of Manchester, UK

    FELLOWSHIPS, AWARDS, GRANTS

    2021-2025  Arctic seasonal timekeeping initiative (ASTI), UiT – The Arctic university of Norway, 2.3 million EUROS, Role: Deputy director & PI

    2020-2022  Biologging for 3Rs science, UiT – The Arctic university of Norway, 3000,000 EUROS, Role: Project leader

    2017-2023  Epigenetic light, Tromsø Forskningsstiftelse (TFS) starter grant, 2.5 million EUROS, Role: Project leader

    2019-2022  The role of circadian clocks in seasonal synchrony in the Arctic, Sentinel North Transdisciplinary Research Program Université Laval and UiT, 450,000 EUROS, Role: Co-PI 

    2019-2024   Clocks and hypoxia: Linking oxygen to time, UiT – The Arctic university of Norway, 600,000 EUROS, Role: Co-PI

    2019  Aurora outstanding operative funds, Funds to run an international overwintering biology meeting, 10,000 EUROS (Cancelled due to Covid-19)

    2019 Aurora outstanding operative funds, Human activity and libido in the polar night and day, 15, 000 EUROS, Role: Project leader

    2019 Research council of Norway Overseas research grant: Hypothalamic tanycytes as epigenetic calendars, 8000 EUROS, Role: Project leader

    2018 Fonds Paul Mandel pour les recherches en neurosciences: Hypothalamic tanycytes as epigenetic calendars. Co-financement award for a cotutelle doctoral student between UiT and University of Strasbourg (Valerie Simonneaux). Total grant value 36000 EUROS. Role: Project leader

    2017 - 2019 Tromsø Forskningsstiftelse (TFS) & UiT Infrastructure grant, Total value equivalent to 400,000 EUROS, Role: Project leader

    2016  Norwegian Research Council PES-midler Horizon 2020: Funds to support the application to an ERC starter grant, 10,000 EUROS awarded (K26015) May 2016

    2008  Pet Plan pump priming award for Genome Wide Association Study 10,000 EUROS, Principal investigator

    SUPERVISION OF GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS


    2022 – to date 1 post-doctoral researcher, 4 Masters students, UiT- The Arctic University of Norway
    2021 – to date 1 post-doctoral researcher, 1 Masters student (May 2022 finish), UiT- The Arctic University of Norway
    2021 – to date 2 part-time research technicians, UiT- The Arctic University of Norway
    2018 – to date 4 PhD students, UiT- The Arctic University of Norway
    2018 – 2021 2 Masters students, 4 undergraduate research projects, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway
    2013-2107 1 PhD student, 2 undergraduate research projects and mentoring of two postdoctoral researchers, University of Manchester, UK
    2010-2013 2 PhD students, 3 Masters students and 1 undergraduate research project, University of Liverpool, UK


    TEACHING ACTIVITIES

    2019 - to date Lecturer, 805 teaching hours per academic year, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway


    REVIEWING ACTIVITIES


    2021 PhD & Masters thesis examiner, UiT: The Arctic University of Norway

    2019 - to date External expert advisory board member for the EU project AQUA-FAANG

    2019 Scientific evaluation board external reviewer for Norwegian University of Life Sciences


    2010 to date Scientific peer reviewer for Current biology, Plos Biology, Journal of Endocrinology, Journal of Neuroendocrinology, General and comparative endocrinology, Molecular ecology


    MEMBERSHIPS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES

    2020 – to date Ordinary member, International Hibernation Society
    2013 – to date Ordinary member, British society for Neuroendocrinology
    2013 – to date Ordinary member, European society for Biological rhythms research

    SELECTED INVITED ORAL PRESENTATIONS (last 5 years)

    2021  De Leidse Biologen Club (LBC), Test of time symposia, “A clock for all seasons”, 29th May 2021

    2020   New Frontiers in Basic Science: Applying New Technology to Endocrine Research, Endocrine society, Virtual meeting, December 2-3, 2020 “Epigenetics in seasonal time keeping”

    2020 European open science foundation, Virtual meeting/press conference

    “Circadian clock mechanism driving mammalian photoperiodism”

    2018   International Congress of Neuroendocrinology, Toronto, Canada “Epigenetics of Seasonal Timing in the Pituitary”

    2017 Invited seminar at Norwegian University of Life sciences: NMBU  “ChIP for all seasons”

    2016  28th conference of European comparative endocrinologists, Leuven, Belgium  “The role of the circadian clock in seasonal timing”

    2015 Invited seminar at the University of Strabourg, France                          “Binary switching of calendar cells”

    2015  Invited seminar at the University of Tromsø, Norway “Seasonal timekeeping mechanisms in mammals”

    2015  European Biological Rhythms Society (EBRS), Manchester, UK

    “Mechanisms driving circannual rhythms in mammals”