On Monday 16th March 2026, Celian Dibliasi successfully defended his PhD thesis, entitled “Structural variants and whole genome duplication in Atlantic salmon evolution”.
The overarching aim of the PhD project was to provide new insight into how complex genetic changes have shaped evolution in Atlantic Salmon.
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) provides an ideal model for studying a role for structural variants such as whole genome duplication in shaping evolutionary processes. Salmonids underwent genome duplication approximately 100 million years ago. Many of the ‘extra’ copies of the genes are still present today, taking on new or shared roles in controlling cell behavior alongside their ‘original’ counterpart.
Celian presenting his trial lecture on the role of structural genetic variants in influencing population dynamics
In his doctoral studies, Celian used Atlantic salmon to investigate patterns of gene regulation after genome duplication. His results provide a better understanding of how complex variants such as genome duplications shape diversity in Atlantic salmon, including how domestication has influenced the health and robustness of these fish, which form an important part of global food systems.
Many genes found in vertebrates today are known to originate from duplicated genes that arose after ancient genome duplication events, before the emergence of different vertebrate groups such as fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, including humans. Celian’s research into how duplicated genes function and evolve in Atlantic salmon can therefore provide broader insight into genome evolution across vertebrates.
Celian’s defence also featured a trial lecture on the subject “Contributions of structural genetic variants to population dynamics processes”.
Celian’s PhD project was supervised by CIGENE’s Marie Saitou, and co-supervised by Simen Rød Sandve and Nicola Barson (both CIGENE). The examination committee comprised Dr. Camille Bethelot (Pasteur Institute, France) and Dr. Tuomas Hämälä (Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE)), as well as internal examiner Prof. Dag Inge Våge (NMBU).
The doctoral thesis is available for public review on this link (download): https://filesender.sikt.no/?s=download&token=cb70501c-8d63-4a3d-862a-33ed7f535f9e