Miriam Isabelle Brandt

Being a diver since the age of 12, my passion for the oceans made me go study marine biology at James Cook University in Australia. I discovered molecular ecology during my masters at the Max Planck Institute in Bremen and decided to combine both fields by undertaking a PhD in DNA-based biodiversity research at IFREMER in France. My thesis focused on using environmental DNA to investigate deep-sea biodiversity, bringing new perspectives to deep-sea ecology, and opening the door to efficient biomonitoring in this vast biome. At NORCE, I joined the Molecular Ecology and Paleogenomics (MEP) research group, working in a project that aims to validate metabarcoding approaches for marine benthic monitoring. In collaboration with industry partners, we are using DNA extracted from sediment and water around oil extraction platforms across the Norwegian shelf to establish a biodiversity baseline and validate molecular approaches for assessing ecological impact.

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