Academic Staff
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Einar Svavarsson
Assistant Professor [email protected] 
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Eva Kuttner
Project Manager and Research Manager evak@holar.is 
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Ólafur I. Sigurgeirsson
Assistant Professor olisig@holar.is 
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Technical and Support Staff
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Marie Delbasty
Teaching and Research Assistant delbasty@holar.is |
Technical Staff at the Breeding Station
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Guðmundur Björnsson
Research Technician gummi@holar.is |
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GRADUATE STUDENTS
Masters Students
Name: Abigail O'Brien
From: United States of America Study: MSc MAR-BIO (Nordic Master Program in Sustainable Production and Utilisation of Marine Bio-resources), Hólar University Started in: 2025 Project: How light availability changes diatom community ecology within lava caves near lake Mývatn. Advisor: Camille A. Leblanc |
Name: Anja Herálvsdóttir Jensen
From: The Faroe Islands Study: MSc in Aquatic Biology, Hólar University Started in: 2025 Project: Antimicrobial resistance in seabirds as indicators of untreated wastewater pollution in the Faroe Islands (University of the Faroe Islands). Advisor: Anni Djurhuus Contact person at Hólar: Camille A. Leblanc |
Name: Alyssa Ehrlich
From: United States of America Study: MSc in Aquatic Biology, Hólar University Started in: 2025 Project: Heritability of personality in Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus): implications for selective breeding in Aquaculture. Advisor: David Benhaïm 
Name: Dylan O'Hagan
From: United States of America Study: MSc MAR-BIO (Nordic Master Program in Sustainable Production and Utilisation of Marine Bio-resources), Hólar University Started in: 2025 Project: Parasite diversity and load Among and within small, benthic Icelandic Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) populations. Advisor: Camille A. Leblanc |
Name: Alex Zinck
From: United States of America Study: MSc in Aquatic Biology, Hólar University Started in: 2025 Project: Physiological mechanisms underlying personality in the Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Advisor: David Benhaïm 
Name: Kobina Bunyan
From: Ghana Study: MSc in Aquatic Biology, Hólar University Started in: 2025 Project: Ontogeny of morphology and sexual dimorphism of Arctic charr. Advisor: Camille A. Leblanc and Bjarni Kristófer Kristjánsson |
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Name: Kelsey Stansberry
From: United States of America Study: MSc in Aquatic Biology, Hólar University Started in: 2024 Project: Effects of prey distribution on resource defense behavior in juvenile Arctic charr. Advisor: Stefán Óli Steingrímsson |
Name: Ben Andrews
From: Canada Study: MSc in Aquatic Biology, Hólar University in collaboration with the University of New Brunswick Project: Comparison of Diel Activity and Growth in Three Species of Stream-Dwelling Salmonids. Advisor: Stefán Óli Steingrímsson |
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Name: Friðþjófur Árnason
From: Iceland Study: MSc in Aquatic Biology, Hólar University, in collaboration with the Marine and Freshwater Institute Project: Density-dependent growth in juvenile stream-dwelling salmonids in Iceland. Advisor: Stefán Óli Steingrímsson |
Name: Krystal Mannion
From: United States of America Study: MSc in Aquatic Biology, Hólar University Project: Diel activity in Arctic charr: Phenotypic and ecological determinants. Specifically, my thesis focuses the role of intraspecific competition (i.e. food availability), and individual differences in behavior, on diel activity and foraging patterns of juvenile Arctic charr. Advisor: Stefán Óli Steingrímsson |
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Name: Margrét Thorsteinsson
From: Iceland Study: M.Sc. in Aquatic Biology, in collaboration with the University of Iceland's Research Centre of the Westfjords and the Westfjords Iceland Nature Research Centre Project: Habitat dynamics of wild anadromous Arctic charr and brown trout in Iceland, and the potential association with salmon lice infection. Advisors: Stefán Óli Steingrímsson and Guðbjörg Ásta Ólafsdóttir |
Name: Michael Galloway
From: United States of America Study: MSc in Aquatic Biology, Hólar University Project: Diel activity in Arctic charr: Phenotypic and ecological determinants. Specifically, my Masters thesis will focus on metabolic rates as a "predictor" of diel activity; linking metabolic rate (and scope) to daily activity of arctic charr in a semi-natural, stream environment. Advisor: Stefán Óli Steingrímsson |
Doctoral students
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Name: Gabrielle Ladurée
From: France Study: PhD, University of Iceland and Hólar University Started in: 2022 Project: Space use, social systems, and personality in stream-dwelling salmonids. Advisor: Stefán Óli Steingrímsson |
Name: Sabine B. C. Lobligeois
From: France Study: PhD, University of Iceland and Hólar University Started in: 2023 Project: Development of personality traits in farmed Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Advisor: David Benhaïm |
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Name: Christian Beuvard
From: France Study: PhD student from the University of Iceland Project: The effect of different parameters (oxygen, CO2 and temperature) on growth and metabolism in Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Advisor: Helgi Thorarensen |
Name: Dan Govoni
From: United States of America Study: PhD , University of Iceland and Hólar University Project: Surface and subsurface community and food web dynamics across a thermal gradient in Icelandic streams. Advisor: Bjarni Kristófer Kristjánsson |
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Name: Safina Musa
From: Kenya Study: PhD Project: Effects of feeding rates and fertilazation on water quality dynamics, growth and economic performance of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Advisor: Helgi Thorarensen |
Name: Sigurður Árnason
From: Iceland Study: PhD, University of Iceland and Hólar University Project: Studying the fine scale ecological drivers of phenotypic diversity in populations of Small Benthic Arctic Charr from spring fed streams, ponds, caves, and hydroelectric reservoirs throught the volcanically active zone of Iceland. Advisor: Bjarni K. Kristjánsson |
Former Graduate Students
Postdoc
2023-2025 - Grant Haines, Hólar University - Postdoctoral project title: Ecology, life history, and selection in small charr populations (Microevolutionary processes in small populations).
PhD
2025 - Alessandra Schnider, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Phenotypic plasticity in Mývatn threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): response to temperature and diet within and across generations. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/5534
2024 - Marion Dellinger, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Eco-evolutionary processes in personality and spatial cognition of Arctic charr morphs (Salvelinus alpinus).
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/5134
2024 - Bethany Smith, University of Glasgow - Thesis title: Evolution and plasticity in geothermal three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus).
https://theses.gla.ac.uk/84261/4/2023SmithBethanyPhD.pdf
2023 - Rosanne Beukeboom, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Can personality predict movement patterns and space use in fishes?: A study case on partial-migrating Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and stream-dwelling Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus). https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/4519
2020 - Hildur Magnúsdóttir, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Phenotypic and genotypic variation in the subtidal gastropod Buccinum undatum.
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/2123
2020 - Agnes-Katharina Kreiling, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Invertebrate diversity in Icelandic freshwater springs. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/2087
2019 - Samantha Victoria Beck, University of Iceland - Thesis title: The influence of egg size for the diversification of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) morphs.
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/1017
2017 - Godfrey K. Kubiriza, University of Iceland - Thesis title: The effects of dietary lipid oxidation on farmed fish. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/349
2016 - Nicolas Larranaga, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Ecological correlates of diel activity in Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/151
2013 - Antoine Millet, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Spatio-temporal variation of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in the dynamic Lake Mývatn, Iceland.
M.Sc.
2025 - Stina Edin Johannsson, Hólar University - Thesis title: Aquaponics and Plant-Based Consumption: A Nordic Perspective Evaluating Attitudes Towards Aquaponics Among Vegan and Vegetarian Consumers in Iceland and Sweden. marbio-stinaedinjohansson-final.pdf
2024 - Leanne Alicia Morris, Hólar University - Thesis title: Influence of river proximity on water quality and its impact on Caribbean mangrove oyster populations: A case study in Bowden Bay, St. Thomas, Jamaica. https://www.grocentre.is/static/gro/publication/1804/document/Leanne-MS-thesis-November-25th-2024.pdf
2023 - Spencer William Edwards, Hólar University - Thesis title: Variation in shoaling behavior in lake Mývatn threespine stickleback in relation to temperature and origin.
http://hdl.handle.net/1946/45851
2023 - Ragna Guðrún Snorradóttir, Hólar University - Thesis title: Relationships between phenotype, diet, and individual specialization of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in Lake Mývatn, Iceland. http://hdl.handle.net/1946/45821
2022 - Meri Katariina Hynnenin, Hólar University - Thesis title: University Vocalizing behavior in killer whales (Orcinus orca) – an evolutionary account.
https://skemman.is/bitstream/1946/40990/1/MSc%20Thesis.Katariina.PDF
2021 - Amber Monroe, Hólar University - Thesis title: The effects of water quality on the growth of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus). http://hdl.handle.net/1946/45868
2021 - Joris Philip, Hólar University - Thesis title: Effects of environmental enrichment on personality traits in juvenile Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) : interplay with brain morphology, growth performance and implication for welfare. http://hdl.handle.net/1946/40022
2019 - Eva Dögg Jóhannesdóttir. Hólar University - Thesis title: Sea lice infestation on wild salmonids in the southern part of the Icelandic Westfjords.
http://hdl.handle.net/1946/33972
2018 - Marlene Kundruhn, University of Cologne Germany - Thesis title: Morphological diversity of otoliths in small benthic Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in relation to ecological factors.
2018 - Doriane Combot, Hólar University - Thesis title: Biological diversity of epibenthic invertebrates in relation to environmental factors in lava caves around Lake Mývatn (N-E Iceland). http://hdl.handle.net/1946/41153
2016 - Coralie Delarue, Hólar University - Thesis title: Plasticity of trait divergence in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from Lake Mývatn, Iceland.
http://hdl.handle.net/1946/26922
2015 - Jónína Herdís Ólafsdóttir, Hólar University - Thesis title: Biological diversity in Icelandic groundwater fissures. http://hdl.handle.net/1946/23776
2015 - Jóhann Garðar Þorbjörnsson, Hólar University - Thesis title: Impacts of SCUBA divers in the Silfra groundwater fissure : ecological disturbance and management.
http://hdl.handle.net/1946/23777
2014 - Amy Fingerle, Hólar University - Thesis title: Effect of population density on diel activity and growth in stream-dwelling Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus.
http://hdl.handle.net/1946/20592
2013 - Filipe André Moreira De Figueiredo, Hólar University - Thesis title: Control of sexual maturation and growth in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) by use of cold cathode light technology. http://hdl.handle.net/1946/16873
2013 - Sarah Jane Kennedy, University Centre of the Westfjords - Thesis title: The effect of water temperature on the feeding behaviour of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) in a natural stream : potential effects of climate change. http://hdl.handle.net/1946/15837
2012 - Soizic Nicole Le Deuff, Hólar University - Thesis title: The effect of photoperiod on juvenile turbot (Scophthalmus maximus). http://hdl.handle.net/1946/15195
2012 - Tamara Diethelm, ETH, Switzerland - Thesis title: Maternal investment and maternal effects in three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) inhabiting contrasting temperatures.
2011 - Mathew Stephen Seymour, Hólar University - Thesis title: Threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in Belgjarskógur, Iceland: Phenotypic and genetic divergence at a small spatial scale.
2011 - Daniel P. Govoni, Hólar University - Thesis title: Influences of spring type, physicochemical factors and longitudinal changes in freshwater spring invertebrate ecology.
http://hdl.handle.net/1946/14070
2010 - Andrea Koopmans, ETH, Switzerland - Thesis title: Divergence in functional morphology: diet and gill raker structure in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in Lake Mývatn, Iceland.
2010 - Mike Senn, University of Zurich - Thesis title: Divergence in reproductive traits of three-spine stickleback inhabiting contrasting temperatures.
2009 - Guðmundur S. Gunnarsson, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Territorial and foraging behaviour of juvenile salmonids in Icelandic streams.
http://hdl.handle.net/1946/2737
2008 - Tyler D. Tunney, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Foraging mode of wild salmonids in Icelandic streams. tdtunney_ms_manuscript_print.pdf
2023-2025 - Grant Haines, Hólar University - Postdoctoral project title: Ecology, life history, and selection in small charr populations (Microevolutionary processes in small populations).
PhD
2025 - Alessandra Schnider, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Phenotypic plasticity in Mývatn threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): response to temperature and diet within and across generations. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/5534
2024 - Marion Dellinger, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Eco-evolutionary processes in personality and spatial cognition of Arctic charr morphs (Salvelinus alpinus).
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/5134
2024 - Bethany Smith, University of Glasgow - Thesis title: Evolution and plasticity in geothermal three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus).
https://theses.gla.ac.uk/84261/4/2023SmithBethanyPhD.pdf
2023 - Rosanne Beukeboom, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Can personality predict movement patterns and space use in fishes?: A study case on partial-migrating Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and stream-dwelling Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus). https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/4519
2020 - Hildur Magnúsdóttir, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Phenotypic and genotypic variation in the subtidal gastropod Buccinum undatum.
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/2123
2020 - Agnes-Katharina Kreiling, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Invertebrate diversity in Icelandic freshwater springs. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/2087
2019 - Samantha Victoria Beck, University of Iceland - Thesis title: The influence of egg size for the diversification of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) morphs.
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/1017
2017 - Godfrey K. Kubiriza, University of Iceland - Thesis title: The effects of dietary lipid oxidation on farmed fish. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/349
2016 - Nicolas Larranaga, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Ecological correlates of diel activity in Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/151
2013 - Antoine Millet, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Spatio-temporal variation of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in the dynamic Lake Mývatn, Iceland.
M.Sc.
2025 - Stina Edin Johannsson, Hólar University - Thesis title: Aquaponics and Plant-Based Consumption: A Nordic Perspective Evaluating Attitudes Towards Aquaponics Among Vegan and Vegetarian Consumers in Iceland and Sweden. marbio-stinaedinjohansson-final.pdf
2024 - Leanne Alicia Morris, Hólar University - Thesis title: Influence of river proximity on water quality and its impact on Caribbean mangrove oyster populations: A case study in Bowden Bay, St. Thomas, Jamaica. https://www.grocentre.is/static/gro/publication/1804/document/Leanne-MS-thesis-November-25th-2024.pdf
2023 - Spencer William Edwards, Hólar University - Thesis title: Variation in shoaling behavior in lake Mývatn threespine stickleback in relation to temperature and origin.
http://hdl.handle.net/1946/45851
2023 - Ragna Guðrún Snorradóttir, Hólar University - Thesis title: Relationships between phenotype, diet, and individual specialization of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in Lake Mývatn, Iceland. http://hdl.handle.net/1946/45821
2022 - Meri Katariina Hynnenin, Hólar University - Thesis title: University Vocalizing behavior in killer whales (Orcinus orca) – an evolutionary account.
https://skemman.is/bitstream/1946/40990/1/MSc%20Thesis.Katariina.PDF
2021 - Amber Monroe, Hólar University - Thesis title: The effects of water quality on the growth of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus). http://hdl.handle.net/1946/45868
2021 - Joris Philip, Hólar University - Thesis title: Effects of environmental enrichment on personality traits in juvenile Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) : interplay with brain morphology, growth performance and implication for welfare. http://hdl.handle.net/1946/40022
2019 - Eva Dögg Jóhannesdóttir. Hólar University - Thesis title: Sea lice infestation on wild salmonids in the southern part of the Icelandic Westfjords.
http://hdl.handle.net/1946/33972
2018 - Marlene Kundruhn, University of Cologne Germany - Thesis title: Morphological diversity of otoliths in small benthic Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in relation to ecological factors.
2018 - Doriane Combot, Hólar University - Thesis title: Biological diversity of epibenthic invertebrates in relation to environmental factors in lava caves around Lake Mývatn (N-E Iceland). http://hdl.handle.net/1946/41153
2016 - Coralie Delarue, Hólar University - Thesis title: Plasticity of trait divergence in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from Lake Mývatn, Iceland.
http://hdl.handle.net/1946/26922
2015 - Jónína Herdís Ólafsdóttir, Hólar University - Thesis title: Biological diversity in Icelandic groundwater fissures. http://hdl.handle.net/1946/23776
2015 - Jóhann Garðar Þorbjörnsson, Hólar University - Thesis title: Impacts of SCUBA divers in the Silfra groundwater fissure : ecological disturbance and management.
http://hdl.handle.net/1946/23777
2014 - Amy Fingerle, Hólar University - Thesis title: Effect of population density on diel activity and growth in stream-dwelling Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus.
http://hdl.handle.net/1946/20592
2013 - Filipe André Moreira De Figueiredo, Hólar University - Thesis title: Control of sexual maturation and growth in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) by use of cold cathode light technology. http://hdl.handle.net/1946/16873
2013 - Sarah Jane Kennedy, University Centre of the Westfjords - Thesis title: The effect of water temperature on the feeding behaviour of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) in a natural stream : potential effects of climate change. http://hdl.handle.net/1946/15837
2012 - Soizic Nicole Le Deuff, Hólar University - Thesis title: The effect of photoperiod on juvenile turbot (Scophthalmus maximus). http://hdl.handle.net/1946/15195
2012 - Tamara Diethelm, ETH, Switzerland - Thesis title: Maternal investment and maternal effects in three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) inhabiting contrasting temperatures.
2011 - Mathew Stephen Seymour, Hólar University - Thesis title: Threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in Belgjarskógur, Iceland: Phenotypic and genetic divergence at a small spatial scale.
2011 - Daniel P. Govoni, Hólar University - Thesis title: Influences of spring type, physicochemical factors and longitudinal changes in freshwater spring invertebrate ecology.
http://hdl.handle.net/1946/14070
2010 - Andrea Koopmans, ETH, Switzerland - Thesis title: Divergence in functional morphology: diet and gill raker structure in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in Lake Mývatn, Iceland.
2010 - Mike Senn, University of Zurich - Thesis title: Divergence in reproductive traits of three-spine stickleback inhabiting contrasting temperatures.
2009 - Guðmundur S. Gunnarsson, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Territorial and foraging behaviour of juvenile salmonids in Icelandic streams.
http://hdl.handle.net/1946/2737
2008 - Tyler D. Tunney, University of Iceland - Thesis title: Foraging mode of wild salmonids in Icelandic streams. tdtunney_ms_manuscript_print.pdf