Craig Primmer is an Australian-Finnish researcher known particularly for his work on fish genomics. His research group, Evolution, Conservation, and Genomics, uses salmonid fishes such as Atlantic salmon as a model for integrative functional genomic, ecological and evolutionary research. His research aims to uncover the genetic mechanisms that lead to the remarkable life-history diversity in salmonid fishes as well as their ecological and evolutionary fitness consequences. It includes experiments ranging from analyses of molecular processes in salmon and trout reared in controlled laboratory conditions to studying the reproductive success of wild populations from the north of Finland to the south of France. His research group also applies the knowledge we obtain for improving conservation and management of these iconic species. His findings in the field of conservation genetics related to fish genomics have garnered attention in the scientific community. Primmer has also published over 215 scientific articles and he has is a two-time awardee of the prestigious European Research Council Advanced Grant in 2017–2022 and 2023–2027.
"My experience as Vice Dean for research in the Faculty has given insights into the important impact the Faculty has in research, education and society and innovation, but has also made me realise there is further potential to be unlocked. I have been inspired by the enthusiasm and dedication of the staff of the Faculty, and I am excited to take the challenge of leading us towards a future where together, we achieve the aims of the University strategy through improved efficiency and wellbeing," Primmer says.
Primmer currently works as a Professor at the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Helsinki and the Institute of Biotechnology. Additionally, he serves as the Vice Dean responsible for research, doctoral education, infrastructure, and international affairs within the Faculty. Prior to this, he worked as post-doc and Academy researcher at the University of Helsinki in 1997–2005, after which he was a Professor of Genetics at the University of Turku, where he worked from 2005 until 2017, when he moved to the University of Helsinki as a Professor of Genomics. He has also completed two five-year terms as an Academy Professor in 2011–2015 and 2017–2021.
The current Dean of the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences is Professor Juha Voipio.
Explore Primmer's research group website Evolution, Conservation, and Genomics