Introducing Guðbjörg the newest member of Ice Fish Research

Hello, my name is Guðbjörg and I’m a new member of Ice Fish Research. I was born and raised in Iceland. Currently I’m working on my PhD in Biology at the University of Iceland where I research diversity in Arctic charr.

Wait, doesn’t everyone love natural science?

I was never going to be a biologist. As a kid I wanted to be a teacher, occupational therapist or an actress that also directed movies and wrote novels in her spare time.

I have always had a great interest in nature and I’m very curious. Biology was always my favourite subject in school, I collected dinosaur books, haunted for bugs and sticklebacks and loved watching nature documentaries. I just never put two and two together, that I may want to be a scientist.

Then one day in menntaskóli (Icelandic high school) when I was stressing over the fact that I had no idea what to do after graduation. I was informed that I was the only one of my classmates that found biology fun. That’s when I finally put two and two together. As a result, I applied for the undergraduate program in biology and have not looked back since.

My Research

I started working with the Arctic charr five years ago when I started my masters project. Where I examined differences in the shape of skull bones between Arctic charr morphs in Þingvallavatn. Many questions arose during that project which later became my PhD project.

I wanted to explore further the great diversity within the Arctic charr. To see how populations have adapted to their environments. Which populations are the closest to the ancestor and which are most different? Right now, I’m researching diversity between (and within) Icelandic Arctic charr morphs. Focusing on the shape of skull bones and number of teeth. I should have all my samples, now it’s just analysing them

About me

When I’m not working, I like creating art whether it’s painting, drawing, writing or cross stitching (all good for mindfulness). I also enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities. Finally, I like hanging out with friends (especially if board games are involved).

Ice Fish Research

I have always found that science communication is very important. So, I was very proud of Alessandra, Lieke, Michelle and Theresa when they founded Ice Fish Research about a year ago. Now I am so thankful and feel honoured that they invited me to be a part of this initiative. Thank you.

Learn more about me

What is your favourite fish? Arctic charr

What is your research topic? Parallel evolution, plasticity and developmental origins of adaptive craniofacial traits in Arctic charr.

Where do you work? The University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland

What inspired your research? I’m honestly just very intrigued by evolutionary processes, how biodiversity arises and how organisms adapted. The Arctic charr just happens to be a good species for these types of questions.

What is your favorite part of being a scientist? This is a bit of a hard question. There are so many fun parts of being a scientist. I’m a pretty curious person and have always liked solving difficult problems. After all the work of collecting the samples, measuring them and doing all the calculations you finally have an answer. Normally the answer isn’t even that striking, there is just something so fun about this “eureka” moment.

How would you explain a scientist to a child? Scientists are a bit like a detective, trying to solve or understand the great mysteries of the world.

How would you explain your research to a child? I look at the skulls of Arctic charr and compare fish that live in different places and eat different prey/food.