Professor Craig Primmer investigates evolution from the perspective of adaptation.
Different organisms modify themselves in order to survive in the middle of changing conditions. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the process requires increasingly versatile research methods.
Primmer and his research group delve into adaptation by using salmon as a model. Their research focuses on the relationship between phenotypes and genotypes on the molecular level, and the genetic architecture of the reproductive age, a factor relevant to adaptation. The genetic structure associated with sexual maturity in salmon is relatively simple, making it a model favourable for research.
In his prior research, Primmer has observed, for example, that a single gene accounts for 40% of the variation in sexual maturity in salmon. This was a surprising find, as life-history traits were previously thought to be regulated by a number of genes.
The goal is to predict the effects of climate change on the life-history traits of the salmon family. Primmer’s research findings can be utilised in managing fish stocks and fish production.
The term of his Academy Professorship is from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2021.
Primmer also served as an Academy Professor in 2011–2015.