I am a postdoctoral researcher in epidemiology at the Centre for International Health, University of Bergen.

My research focuses on population health, environmental epidemiology, respiratory and cardiometabolic health, and survey-based research in international population studies. I work with the development and quality assurance of epidemiological datasets, statistical analyses in R, and reproducible analytical workflows that support transparent and efficient research.

My current work includes population-based studies in Guatemala investigating environmental exposures and health outcomes, as well as collaborations involving the RHINESSA, RHINE and ECRHS cohorts. I am also involved in international research through the European EPHOR consortium.

My research interests include:

• Population health
• Environmental epidemiology
• Survey methodology
• Data management and quality assurance
• Respiratory epidemiology
• Reproducible research
• Research automation
• International collaboration

Juan Pablo López-Cervantes, Negusse T. Kitaba, Gerd Toril Mørkve Østergaard, Vivi Schlünssen, Christer Janson, Francisco Javier Callejas-Gonzales, Shyamali C. Dharmage, Karl A. Franklin, Mathias Holm, Oskar Jogi, Caroline Lodge, Andrei Malinovschi, Elin Helga Thorarinsdottir, Randi J. Bertelsen, Simone Accordini, Cecilie Svanes. Father’s smoking initiation in puberty as associated with accelerated ageing in offspring. European Respiratory Journal 2025 66(suppl 69)PA3770; DOI:https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.congress-2025.PA3770

Anne Mette Lund Würtz, Jorunn Kirkeleit, Sander Ruiter, Eugenio Traini, Fiona Sheila Carson, Miranda Loh, Will Mueller, Manosij Ghosh, Evi De Ryck, Cecilie Svanes, Toril Mørkve Knudsen, Theresa Møller Kynde, Kirsten Østergaard, Christer Janson, Andrei Malinovschi, Lars Modig, Mathias Holm, Rain Jogi, Thorarinn Gislason. Short-term working-life exposome and cross-week changes in lung function among persons with (mild) respiratory symptoms. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 82 (Suppl 2): A46, 1-A46. DOI:10.1136/oemed-2025-EPICOHabstracts.112.

Negusse adese Kitaba, Toril Mørkve Østergaard, Marianne Lønnebotn, Simone Accordini, Francisco Gómez Real, Andrei Malinovschi, Anna Oudin, Bryndis Benediktsdottir, Francisco Janier Callejas González, Leopoldo Palacios Gómez, Mathias Holm, Nisl Oskar Jõgi, Shyamali C. Dharmage, Svein Magne Skulstad, Vivi Sclünssen, Cecilie Svanes, John W. Holloway. Father’s adolescent body silhouette is associated with offspring asthma, lung function and BMI through DNA methylation. Communications Biology 8, 796 (2025). https://doi.org:10.1038/s42003-025-08121-9

Negusse T Kitaba*, Gerd Toril Mørkve Knudsen*, Ane Johannessen, Faisal I. Rezwan, Andrei Malinovschi, Anna Oudin, Bryndis Benediktsdottir, David Martino, Francisco Javier Callejas González, Leopoldo Palacios Gómez, Mathias Holm, Nils Oskar Jogi, Shyamali C. Dharmage, Svein Magne Skulstad, Sarah H. Watkins, Mathew Suderman, Francisco Gómez-Real, Vivi Schlünssen, Cecilie Svanes, John W. Holloway. Fathers´preconception smoking and offspring DNA methylation. Clin Epigenet 15, 131 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s/3148-023-01540-7

Juan Pablo López-Cervantes, Marianne Lønnebotn, Nils oskar Jogi, Lucia Calciano, Ingrid Nordeide Kuiper, Matthew G. Darby, Shyamali C. Dharmage, Francisco Gómez-Real, Barbara Hammer, Randi Jacobsen Bertelsen, Ane Johannessen, Anne Mette Lund Würtz, Toril Mørkve Knudsen, Kathrine Pape, Svein Magne Skulstad, Signe Timm, Gro Tjalvin, Susanne Krauss-Etschmann, Simone Accordini, Vivi Schlünssen, Jorun Kirkeleit, Cecilie Svanes. The Exposome Approach in Allergies and Lung Diseases: Is It Time to Define a Preconception Exposome? Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 2021, 18(23), 12684; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph 182312684

Barbara Hammer, Latha Kadalayil,  Eistine Boateng,  Dominik Buschmann,  Faisal I. Rezwan, Martin Wolff, Sebastian Reuter, Sabine Bartel, Toril Mørkve Knudsen, Cecilie Svanes, John W. Holloway, Susanne Krauss-Etschmann.  Preconceptional smoking alters spermatozoal miRNAs of murine fathers and affects offspring’s body weight.  International Journal of Obesity (2021) 45:1623–1627, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-021-00798-2.

G.T. Mørkve Knudsen, Shyamali Dharmage, Christer Janson, Michael J Abramson, Bryndis Benediktdottir, Andrei Malinovschi, S.M Skulstad, Randi Jacobsen Bertelsen, Francisco Gomez Real, Vivi Schlünssen, Nils Oskar Jögi, Jose Luis Sanchez-Ramos, Mathias Holm, Judith Garcia-Aymerich, Bertil Forsberg, Cecilie Svanes, Ane Johannessen. Parents smoking onset before conception as related to body mass index and fat mass in adult offspring: Findings from the RHINESSA generation study. PLoS One. 2020 Jul 6,14(7):e0235632. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235632. eCollection 2020.

G.T. Mørkve Knudsen*, F.I. Rezwan*, A. Johannessen, S.M. Skulstad, R.J. Bertelsen, F.G. Real, S. Krauss-Etschmann, V. Patil, D. Jarvis, S.H. Arshad, J.W. Holloway, C. Svanes. Epigenome-wide association of father’s smoking with offspring DNA methylation: a hypothesis-generating study. Environmental Epigenetics, 2019, 1–10. doi: 10.1093/eep/dvz023.

Toril Mørkve Knudsen*, Faisal I. Rezwan*, Yu Jiang, Wilfried Karmaus, Cecilie Svanes, John W. Holloway. Transgenerational and intergenerational epigenetic inheritance in allergic diseases.  Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018 Sep;142(3):765-772. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2018.07.007. Epub 2018 Jul 21.

Bircan Erbas, Toril Mørkve Knudsen, Christer Janson, Roy M. Nilsen, Simone Accordini, Bryndis Benediktdottir, Julia Dratva, Joachim Heinrichh, Debbie Jarvis, Benedcite Leynaert, Melanie C. Matheson, Dan Norbäck, Francisco G. Real, Chantal Raherison-Semjen, Simona Villanin, S.C. Dharmage, C. Svanes. Critical age windows in the impact of lifetime smoking exposure on respiratory symptoms and disease among ever smokers. Environmental Research 164 (2018) 241–247.

Mørkve T, Aanerud M, Skulstad SM, Svanes C. Barneastma og KOLS. Allergi i Praksis 2011;2:18-22.

Knudsen TM, Mørkve O, Mfinanga S, Hardie JA. Predictive equations for spirometric reference values in a healthy adult suburban population in Tanzania. Tanz J Health Res 2011;13(3):214-223.

Pesticides and exposures from traditional textile industry associated with own and offspring health in indigenous Guatemalan communitites.

The project is anchored at the UIB and Helse Bergen RHINESSA multi-generation studies and research network, and will under leadership by Cecilie Svanes be conducted in close partnership between the Institute of Nutrition of Central America And Panama (INCAP, https://www.incap.int/index.php/en/), and the Guatemala-based civil society organizations Centre for Equity and Governance for Healthcare (CEGSS, https://cegss.org.gt/en/) and the Community Defenders for the Right to Health (CDRH). Through shared leadership, scientific responsibilities, funding and training of researchers and staff, the study aims to ensure local competence building, build trust and partnership with the communities and stakeholders and shape policy processes for improvement of respiratory and public health.

The Exposome Project for Health and Occupational Research (EPHOR, https://www.ephor-project.eu).

Investigating working life exposomes, lung function and obstructive lung disease in the general population.

Philosophia Doctor (PhD), Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen (2023). Title of thesis «Fathers’ smoking in different time windows as related to offspring’s epigenetic and phenotypic outcomes».

Master of philosophy (MPhil) in international health and epidemiology, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen (2010). Title of master's project «Prevalence of Respiratory Symptoms and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and Reference Values for Lung Function Testing in Kinondoni District, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania».

Postgraduate Course in Research Methods and Statistics, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (formerly Bergen University College) (2007)

Bachelor of Science (BSc) in physiotherapy, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (2003)

Foundation Course in Psychology (60 ECTS), University of Bergen (1999)