Brendon Lee (Postdoc) - Start: May 2023
I am a fisheries scientist who specialises in studying marine fish life history, population structure, biology, and species interactions to contribute to their sustainable management.
I completed my BSc (Honours) in Ichthyology and Fisheries Science from Rhodes University in Grahamstown, and later my MSc in Marine Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, while based at the Oceanographic Research Institute in Durban. During this period, I focused on describing the biology and assessing the stock status of a large pelagic predator on the east coast of Southern Africa. My PhD in Fisheries Science from Rhodes University aimed to use a multidisciplinary approach to understand the complex stock structure dynamics for Patagonian toothfish on the Patagonian Shelf.
Throughout my career, I have worked in various academic, private sector, and government-based roles related to species across the nearshore, demersal, and benthopelagic marine environments. Most recently, I was responsible for leading biological and ecological research related to improving the management of large-scale industrial longline and trawl-based fisheries in the southwest Atlantic ecosystem.
Currently, I teach various fisheries-related courses at the University of Iceland. My primary research project, in affiliation with the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, focuses on addressing local and regional scale questions related to the population structure of blue whiting in the northeast Atlantic. The sustainable management of this species is of critical importance to fisheries and ecosystem dynamics, and my research aims to contribute to its sustainable management.
Gabriel Ferreira (PhD student) - Start: September 2024
I’d say marine science has always been an integral part of my life. Having lived my entire life in one of Portugal’s coastal towns (Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto), I was acquainted with this field at an early age through my visits to the beach during summer and my contact with the subject at school. Thanks to these experiences, I developed a genuine passion for marine science, which led me to pursue a professional career in it. I completed my BSc in Biology at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto and later my MSc in Marine Sciences – Marine Resources at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Porto. During the latter, I researched myxosporean biodiversity in an estuarine environment at different stages of their life cycle employing traditional and eDNA-based detection and diversity assessment techniques.
Currently, I’m starting my PhD at the School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (SENS) of the University of Iceland, with the supervision of Dr Haseeb Randhawa and Dr Björn Schäffner. My PhD thesis will focus on surveying the status of parasitic organisms infecting skate hosts in marine ecoregions off Iceland to aid future implementation of conservation efforts to threatened host-parasite systems. Through this work, I intend on improving my knowledge regarding marine parasitology and conservation so I can become a better researcher.
Francesco Golin (PhD student) - Start: June 2024
Living nearby the mountains of northern Italy, as a kid the summertime has always been a special time for me, as it meant: camping by the sea, exploring rockpools and endless hours of snorkeling and diving! From then on, I cultivated my love for marine science, graduating from the IMBRSea programme and officially becoming a marine biologist. My passion is researching ecology of communities; because of, this I have participated to a research cruise in the North Sea, and I have been working on copepod diet, microalgae cultivation, shrimp and cod parasites. The two last studies were linked with fisheries science, which is my other main interest.
I am now a PhD student at Háskóli Íslands and working at Hafrannsóknastofnun, the Marine Institute of Iceland, under the supervision of Haseeb Randhawa, Ingibjörg Jónsdóttir, and Julian Burgos. The topic of my PhD is marine fish community dynamics in Icelandic waters, and I am investigating which factors drive the distribution of fish species, how their communities will develop with current climate change and fishing pressure, and which measures can be applied to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services. Through this experience I plan on gaining valuable knowledge on statistics, modelling, and marine management, to become an all-round marine community ecologist.
Einar Pétur Jónsson (PhD student) - Start: October 2023
Being brought up in Iceland and spending much time by and in the sea now seems like an obvious path towards studying marine biology. My undergrad studies in marine biology were carried out in Chile, at the Pontific Catholic University of Chile, where I got to know a rich and fascinating ecosystem governed by strong oceanographic processes.
Upon coming home I started working for the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI) doing shape analysis of cod otoliths, which then led me to a M.Sc. study on the cod ecotypes, their otolith shape variation and the ecological processes behind it.
I‘ve recently started my Ph.D. where I‘m employing an experimental strategy to look into multiple stressor effects on marine organisms. This is part of the MFRI‘s build-up of facilities and knowledge to do these kind of experiments where we study the effects of more than one stressor at a time, such as temperature and pH, for example.
Hlynur Pétursson (MSc student) - Start: July 2021
My name is Hlynur which is the Icelandic common name for the maple tree, Acer pseudoplatanus, so I should maybe have gone into botany, instead I took all the marine related courses that were available at the time. Even though I was born in Reykjavík, I was raised in the northern part of the country, in Ólafsjörður and Akureyri. Both towns relied heavily on fishing.
I finished my B.Sc. in 1998 and started working for the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute. For the first 5 years I worked as a biologist with focus on data collecting, both on land and sea, and as an age analyst on flatfish. In 2003 I transferred to Ólafsvík and became branch manager for MFRI with various duties. Mostly related to the biology of Breiðafjörður area. In 2017 I transferred to Akureyri, my hometown, and became a branch manager for that area. I am hoping that with this programme I will get a broader insight into the mechanisms of marine life and the tools to study it.
Svandís Eva Aradóttir (MSc student) - Start: August 2022
My name is Svandís Eva and I was born and raised in Akureyri where my love of nature became clear early on and after I finished high school I moved to Reykjavík to study biology at the University of Iceland. Because of my love of nature and science and being from an island in the middle of the Atlantic ocean and having the initials SEA, it wasn‘t a surprise to anyone that I applied for a job at the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI).
I started at MFRI as a summer student in the summer of 2016 and when I graduated with my BSc in 2017 I came back and later on became a full time employee. I‘m currently the primary age analyzer of blue whiting and capelin as well as participating in a lot of surveys. My goal was always to go back to school and do my masters, after gaining some work experience and finding the perfect project for me I realized I was finally ready to go back to school.
Guðrún Ósk Sæmunsdóttir (MSc student) - Start: August 2023
My name is Guðrún Ósk and I come from the outskirts of Reykjavík. I’ve always had a love of nature and natural sciences and as a kid I enjoyed reading science magazines and watching animal documentaries. I went on to study geophysics before realizing it was not for me and biology is where my passion lies. Now I’m about to finish the last semester of my bachelor’s degree in biology. For the past two years I’ve worked at Matís’s sustainability and aquaculture department alongside my studies. Working at their research aquaculture facility has given me the chance to learn a lot about fish and conducting scientific experiments. I’m currently writing my bachelors thesis under the supervision of Haseeb focusing on parasite communities in different ecotypes of threespine sticklebacks in Lake Thingvallavatn.
Kaylin Nickels (MSc student) - Start: August 2024
Zaw Myo Win (MSc student) - Start: August 2024
Tryggvi Guðmundsson (MSc student) - Start: August 2024
My name is Tryggvi Guðmundsson and I am 36 years old first year MSc student at the Aquatic biology and Fisheries program at the University of Iceland. I was born and raised in Iceland to a family that taught me love and appreciation for nature. I entwined my love for nature into my work life by working as a guide for the last nine years, first as a glacier- and mountain guide and later I weaved my biggest passion, fly fishing and freshwater, into my guiding career. My passion and curiosity towards the aquatic environment has led me to where I am today, studying biology with a focus on the ecology of both the freshwater and the marine environment in hopes that it will propel me towards a profession in research and/or conservation of our waters. My BSc project was done in collaboration with the Marine and Freshwater Research Institution of Iceland. During the project I inventoried the parasites found in and on haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) off the north and south coast of Iceland and performed a comparative analysis of the parasite communities from the two localities. My MSc project has yet to be decided.
Elísabet Guðmundsdóttir (MSc student) - Start: January 2025
My name is Elísabet, and I am an MSc student in Marine and Freshwater Biology at the University of Iceland. During my undergraduate studies, I conducted a project based on genetic manipulations in Drosophila melanogaster. This experience drastically increased my understanding of laboratory work. However, I realized I wanted to specialize in a subject that included more fieldwork. It wasn‘t until I took courses in parasitology and fish ecology that I discovered marine biology was the perfect fit for my interests, offering a unique blend of both. The first semester of my master's was taken at the University of Bergen, where my coursework centered around practical experiences at sea and several research projects on marine organisms. My master‘s project at the University of Iceland centers around the feeding grounds of different herring populations around Iceland.
Knut Albrecht (MSc student) - Start: January 2025
Margot Kulberg (MSc student) - Start: January 2025
My name is Margot, and I am lucky to have been surrounded by nature from a very young age. Growing up in the mountains of Colorado (USA), I was fascinated with the bears who would visit my backyard, as well as the barking sea lions we would see during family vacations to California. And, after a trip to SeaWorld San Diego, it was clear that I wanted to study marine mammals. My true passion and focus lie with orcas, specifically their communication and behavior. I earned my BS in Biology in California, beginning at Santa Barbara City College and finishing at Westmont College. Over the last couple of years, I have gained experience primarily working with pinnipeds, both in the field and in a rehabilitation setting. Most recently, I was able to be around many orcas and other marine mammals by being a crew member on a whale watching boat. I am extremely excited to be here in Iceland to work on a project involving orca acoustics with Filipa and Haseeb.
Kristján Friðrik Sveinbjörnsson (BSc student) - Start: August 2024
My name is Kristján Friðrik, and I have been a fisherman for almost all my life. It all started when my dad took me fishing when I was younger and I immediately got hooked to fishing. Because of my interest in fishing and fish in general, I decided to start studying biology at the University of Iceland in 2021. I had no idea where I wanted to specialize in the field, but it was clear I wanted to study fish. I soon took up an interest in parasites in fish and have set my course to parasites. I have not accomplished much yet in my studies and haven't gotten that much experience working in this field due to how new I am to this but I am aiming high. As of now I am doing my BSc project with Haseeb about parasite abundance in Arctic charr and Brown trout in Lake Hítarvatn in the western part of Iceland.
Hrefna Kristín Rúnarsdóttir (BSc student) - Start: January 2025
Ever since I was a kid I have been interested in marine biology. I used to sit by the pier and ponder at the jellyfish that glided by, dipping my toes in the sea to touch them. I am interested in all types of sea creatures, but jellyfish and whales have a special place in my heart. I guess you could say this is fitting since me and the minke whale have the same name in Icelandic. I dream of being a marine biologist, and that’s why taking Haseeb’s fish ecology class was an absolute must for me. Because of him, I acquired a new interest in parasites. For this reason, I have decided to do a BSc project about the difference in parasites from tusk (Brosme brosme) in the north and south of Iceland. I feel this opportunity will further my understanding of marine ecology and make me appreciate the little things in life, literally.
Konný Íris Káradóttir (BSc student) - Start: January 2025
When I started studying biology at the university I had no main focus, but I was open for anything. We studied everything from microbiology to mammology, and I made it my mission to try and take all of the different classes I could and see what I like. During the fall semester 2024 I took fish ecology, taught by Haseeb Randhawa, and I was immediately intersted by this class. As an icelandic person, fish is very important to me and our country and I thought it was important to take this class to inform myself on the fish around Iceland. We talked a lot about parasites in that class since that has been one of Haseebs main focus in his career and a greatly ignored problem in fish ecology. When this project of looking at the difference in parasites between the north and south ocean of Iceland, I couldn’t wait to start.
Magnús Máni Dagsson (BSc student) - Start: January 2025
My interest in biology comes from a young age, I used to watch a lot of nature documentaries and go fishing with my father and my grandfather. My interest in protecting endangered animals is what inspired me to study biology and make a career out of it, so I decided to pursue my dreams and applied to the university of Iceland to get a degree in biology. I always had a lot of interest in deep sea fishes, so I naturally decided to take a course in fish ecology where I met Haseeb and decided to have him as my instructor for a BSc project. My project is about researching parasites abundance in cod from the north and south of Iceland. My dream job is to be able to travel the world and work in the field since being out in the wild is what brings me peace. Also, my favorite animal is the orangutan.
Ragnar Blær Þorgeirsson (BSc student) - Start: January 2025
From a very young age, I have been fascinated by fish, keeping a wide variety of species in aquariums. I’ve cared for everything from small, peaceful fish to larger, predatory species. Through trial and error in maintaining optimal tank conditions and treating illnesses in different species, my curiosity about their behavior, physiology, and ecosystems has grown.
This hands-on experience inspired my passion for understanding aquatic life, which has only deepened during my biology studies. I have developed a strong interest in marine biology, particularly in exploring how fish interact with their environments and the dynamics within aquatic ecosystems. My fascination has also extended to parasitology.
I hope to contribute to the protection and preservation of aquatic ecosystems while uncovering their hidden complexities.
Ragnhildur Sara Bergsdóttir (BSc student) - Start: January 2025
I always knew I would do something connected to nature, when I was five I proclaimed loudly I was going to be a farmer when I grew up, or possibly a doctor. Later I joined the two and decided to become a veterinarian. But when I graduated from junior college and could apply for veterinary school, I didn’t feel like I was ready and so I enrolled in Biology at the University of Iceland. That is when I realized my true passion wasn’t doctoring animals but studying and truly understanding them. The core of my interest lies in the intersection of zoology, evolution and ecology. I find something inexplicably enchanting about how a species evolves over time, how different species affect each other and how ripples of change cascade through food webs and ecosystems. The summer of 2024 I worked at the Marine & Freshwater Research Institute where I got to fuel my passions by analyzing the stomach contents of fish, particularly of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). My BSc project is in collaboration with the Marine & Freshwater Research Institute where I will aim to find out how important true crabs (Brachyura) are in the diets of predatory fish.