|
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
My exposure to diverse research environments
spanning physiology from molecular to environmental levels has shown
me the sort of work I enjoy: what I would call the future of “modern
physiology”, where the tools of other disciplines such as molecular
biology, quantitative genetics or mathematics
are applied to solve central physiological questions.
My primary research interests are focused on understanding the
physiological and molecular mechanisms in extreme
environments. In particular, I am interested in respiratory and
cardiovascular adaptations to hypoxia and especially its importance in
diving physiology. I believe that the comparative approach is
particularly powerful when studying physiological function and am
interested how adaptation contribute to biological “fitness” and how
this enable animals to inhabit a wide range of
habitats.
Even though my research is focused on whole
animals, I commonly use tools of other disciplines such as molecular
biology, quantitative genetics or mathematics, to solve central
physiological questions. Thus, my integrative approach investigates
physiological changes at several levels, such as the molecular,
systemic and whole animal level. Physiological diversity and variation
present useful insight into general physiological mechanism. A key
question is how the diversity generated by a given genotype is
expressed as different phenotypes, i.e. phenotypic plasticity, and to
what extreme these phenotypes can be modulated. I believe that
integration of the comparative approach with physiology and ecology
may enable me to answer some of the fascinating questions that exist
about physiological form and function.
In previous
research, I have investigated thermoregulatory, cardiovascular and
respiratory changes during foraging and fasting in penguins (11,13),
heritable traits of the ventilatory and cardiovascular responses to
hypoxia in humans (8, 14*), cardiovascular and respiratory responses
in pigs in hyperbaria (3-7, 10), and respiratory efficiency during
swimming in humans. On the molecular level, I was among the first to
search for differentially expressed genes in the muscle and heart in
hibernating mammals (1). These diverse fields have made it possible
to gain unique knowledge of physiological mechanisms and I this
approach is key to understanding animal physiology.
*Numbers refer to published papers on the publication page. |
