ALINA L. EVANS(USA) DVM, MPH, PhD Alina is an associated professor and leader of the research group. She is a veterinarian and holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota and a PhD from INN. Her research focus is ecophysiology, wildlife medicine, translation medicine, chemical immobilization, and anesthesia. Ongoing projects are Elg i Endring, Gevling i Norge, Ecophysioloy in brown bears and moose.
PROFESSORS
JON M. ARNEMO (Norway) DVM, PhD Jon is a professor at INN and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. He is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with a Doctor of Philosophy in pharmacology. After working in private mixed animal practice for six years, he became a full-time wildlife veterinarian in 1991. His major research topics include wildlife anesthesia, ecophysiology, wound ballistics and health effects of spent lead ammunition. He has supervised numerous veterinary and master students and PhD candidates. He has given immobilization courses for 25 years and has been involved in wildlife capture operations in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America. He resides with his dogs on a mountain farm in south-central Norway and is a dedicated moose hunter.
MORTEN TRYLAND(Norway) DVM, PhD Morten is a professor at INN and at The Arctic University of Norway ( UiT Tromsø). He has worked for 30 years in northern and arctic regions with infectious diseases, zoonoses, wildlife reservoirs and disease transmission in populations, specifically virus infections in semi-domesticated reindeer. He worked with European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on CWD in reindeer and is a member of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (Panel on Biological Hazards). He is the Norwegian editor of the scientific journal Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica and edited two books, “Reindeer and Caribou – Health and Disease (CRC Press 2019) and “Arctic One Health” (Springer 2022). He has projects in Alaska, Canada, Iceland and Fennoscandia, including the Svalbard Archipelago, and a NORAD project on One Health, climate change and infectious diseases (CIDIMOH, Uganda and South-Sudan).
ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS
MARIANNE LIAN(Norway) DVM, PhD Marianne worked 1.5 years in clinical practice, before working full time with wildlife health and research. She has documented wildlife capture and improving chemical immobilizations and wildlife anesthesia for several species. Additionally, her research focuses on ecotoxicology, and specifically environmental contaminants in aquatic species. She is also a consulting toxicologist for the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Marianne is currently working as an associated professor at INN, course leader for the wildlife capture course, and a wildlife veterinarian attending capture operations in Norway and Sweden.
ANDREA L. MILLER(USA) DVM, PhD Andrea completed her veterinary degree and a one year specialty internship in exotic animal medicine in the United States before beginning her career in wildlife medicine and research in Scandinavia in 2011. Her main research interests focuses on infection biology with an emphasis on parasitology. She has a specific interest and a PhD on Echinococcus multilocularis in foxes in Scandinavia, but she has also worked with infectious agents/parasites in other species including arctic fox, reindeer, cormorants, ptarmigan and moose. Andrea is currently working as an Associate Professor at INN, as a course leader for Wildlife Health, and as a wildlife veterinarian attending capture operations in Norway and Sweden.
POSTDOCS
KAYLA BUHLER(Canada) PhD in Veterinary Microbiology Kayla completed her MSc in Infectious Diseases at the University of London (UK) before pursuing her PhD in Veterinary Microbiology at the University of Saskatchewan (Canada). Her passion for wildlife conservation and health originally sparked her interest in disease ecology and emerging infectious diseases. Her past research has focused on the epidemiology and ecology of vector-borne pathogens in keystone Arctic species, including caribou, polar bears and arctic foxes.
PHD STUDENTS
ANNE RANDI GRÆSLI(Norway) DVM, PhD Anne Randi started her collaboration with the research group when she did her Master's thesis during her veterinary education. After finishing her veterinary degree, she worked three years in mixed clinical practice before she started her PhD at INN. She graduated with her PhD entitled “Ecophysiology of moose, basic physiology and responses to stressors” in December 2022. Anne Randi is currently working under a completion grant at INN, and as a wildlife veterinarian attending capture operations in Scandinavia.
BORIS FUCHS(Switzerland) MSc in Applied Ecology PhD project: Lead (Pb) exposure in Scandinavian scavengers In his PhD project, Boris investigates heavy metal exposure in Scandinavian wildlife with a focus on Lead (Pb) in brown bears. In addition, he is a part time research technician specialized in immobilizing and marking Scandinavian mammals including moose, brown bear, wolves and wolverines. He has a forestry and forest ecology background, his academic engagement for wildlife started with a master degree in applied ecology within the One Health & Ecophysiology group at Evenstad.
ALEXANDRA THIEL(Germany) MSc in Wildlife Ecology and Wildlife Management PhD project: Effects of capture and environmental conditions on Scandinavian brown bears For her masters degree, Alex already collaborated with the One Health & Ecophysiology research group at Evenstad and wrote a thesis on body temperature and activity patterns in wolverines. After that she started as a research technician, which included data analysis and management as well as extensive field work, such as captures of various Scandinavian mammal species, predation studies/ GPS cluster checks and scat collections. In 2020, Alex started her PhD but also continued some of her research technician work.
LUCIE LEMIÈRE(France) DVM, Master in Ecophysiology PhD project: Reproductive ecophysiology and phenology of the moose and the brown bear in a changing climate Lucie is a veterinarian with a Masters in Ecology, Ecophysiology and Ethology from the University of Strasbourg (France). Lucie collaborated with the One Health & Ecophysiology group as part of her veterinary and master’s thesis in 2021 before starting a PhD in applied ecology at INN in January 2022. Her research focuses on the reproductive ecophysiology and phenology of large mammals. As a wildlife veterinarian, she also attends captures of various mammal species in Scandinavia.
LAURA NICCOLAI(France) MSc in Ethology and Animal Behavior PhD project: Behavioral and physiological responses of free-ranging cattle to predator stimuli With a Masters in Ethology and Animal Behavior from the University of Paris13, Laura completed her master's thesis on moose behavioral responses to close proximity with wolves in Scandinavia. She has worked extensively in the field, with tracking and captures of small and large mammals, ungulate pellet counts and wolf predation studies. Her research interests lie within the fields of human/ carnivore conflicts, wildlife/carnivore conservation, carnivore ecology and social behavior, as well as science popularization.
ESTER MALMSTRÖM (Sweden) DVM, Master in Biomedical Science PhD project: Infectious diseases in semi-domesticated reindeer Ester got her veterinary degree from The Estonian University of Life Sciences in 2014. She then worked as a mixed animal veterinarian in Europe, an instructor and veterinarian at the Ruminant Medicine Clinic at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and finished a 1-year rotating internship at the Tierspital Ruminant Medicine Hospital at Zürich, Switzerland. She also finished a 3-year residency in Large Animal Internal Medicine in 2022 at Auburn University, Alabama USA and obtained a Master of Science Degree (MS) in Biomedical Sciences from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University in 2022 and is currently a candidate for a LA-ACVIM Diplomate status.
STINE BULL AURBAKKEN (Norway) DVM PhD project: Effects of supplementary feeding on parasite load of semi-domesticated reindeer in Scandinavia Before starting her work at INN, Stine has been working in the Norwegian Food Safety Authorities (Mattilsynet) in the reindeer slaughter season, and in mixed clinical practice in Finnmark. In 2020, she obtained a post graduate certificate in teaching of natural sciences from University of Oslo. Along the way, she has also had the chance to add insight to her interest in environmental and anthropogenic effects on animal behaviour and welfare, by following single courses relevant to these topics.
MASTER STUDENTS
GINA UTHUS (Norway)
Master's project: Evaluating the molar ratio of Selenium to mercury (Se:Hg) in two freshwater species (mink and cormorant) in Innlandet, Norway
MANON SEU (France)
Master's project (DVM): Movement patterns of Scandinavian brown bear females at den emergence: Study of the influence of physiological and environmental factors
CHARLOTTE PATTERSON (USA)
Master's project: European badger population density estimation in Norway: a comparison between statistics and a camera-trap approach
KAREN SOFIE FROSTVOLL (Norway)
Master's project: Hibernation duration and depth of Scandinavian brown bears in relation to den type and snow condition
SHARON LUSTENBERGER (Switzerland)
Master's project: Mercury (Hg) and Selenium (Se) measured in cormorants: Are there associations related to forestry industry practices?
SIRI GRAFF (Norway)
Master's project: Ressource selection in Brown bears during early and late activity phase
SOLVEIG CESILIE MINSAAS (Norway)
Master's project (DVM): Evaluation of injectable anestehsia and blood gases in European beavers (Castor fiber)
BACHELOR STUDENTS
MAJA TJOSAAS (Norway)
Bachelor's project in forestry: Can industrialized forestry operations exaggerate mercury run-off to rivers and watersheds?
Bachelor's project in wildlife management: Relationship between mercury and age class and body weight in mink and cormorants
MALIN SVIMBIL (Norway)
Bachelor's project: Elaphostrongylus rangiferi on wild reindeer