My research focuses on the diversity and evolution of Cnidaria and Ctenophora, with a particular interest in the ecological and evolutionary significance of variation in life cycle strategies, both within and among species. These two phyla exhibit an extraordinary diversity of developmental and reproductive strategies, including the remarkable ability of some species to undergo reverse development, returning to an earlier life stage after reaching sexual maturity. I documented this phenomenon in the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi, providing the first evidence of reverse development in comb jellies.

To investigate these questions, I combine morphological, ecological, and genomic approaches within an integrative framework. I am particularly interested in how differences in life cycle strategies shape dispersal, connectivity, and evolutionary diversification. Using hydrozoans as a model group, I investigate the evolutionary origins of large-scale disjunct distributions, including bipolarity, the occurrence of the same or closely related species in both Arctic and Antarctic waters.

I currently lead ODIN (Octocoral Diversity in Norway), funded by the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre, and coordinate whole-genome sequencing activities within the Manet Team. Previously, I led NOAH (Norwegian Arctic Hydrozoa), also funded by the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre, and POLE2POLE, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fellowship funded by the EU Horizon 2020 programme, investigating the evolutionary origins of bipolarity in marine invertebrates.

See a complete overview of publications in NVA.

- POLE2POLE (PI). The evolutionary origins and consequences of bipolarity in Hydrozoa. Horizon2020, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. 

- Project NoAH (PI). Norwegian Arctic Hydrozoa. The Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre/Artsdatabanken.

- ParaZoo (WP leader). Metazoan parasites of non-crustacean zooplankton. The Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre/Artsdatabanken.