Lizenn Delisle

Research scientist, Shellfish physiology, health and disease

Role at Cawthron

Lizenn is a shellfish physiologist in the Aquaculture Group at Cawthron. She is a passionate marine scientist working on diseases in aquaculture and physiology of marine invertebrates. Currently, her research aims to identify pathogens associated with severe mortality episodes occurring on aquaculture species in New Zealand and their mechanisms of infection through the analyses of field samples, experimental infection in laboratory and in vitro propagation. Her research also focuses on mechanisms of host response to infection, by using large scale molecular approaches like transcriptomic, metabarcoding or proteomic and targeted analyses (PCR, qPCR) to improve understanding of shellfish resilience to pathogens which will support the aquaculture industry.

Technical skills, experience and interests

• Optimization of disease laboratory challenge for shellfish.
• Development of culture techniques for economically important parasite species.
• Use of molecular approaches to diagnose parasitic disease issues.
• Use of RNA sequencing and microbiomic to assess host-pathogen interaction.
• Proteomic and molecular analyses to evaluate shellfish health and the impact of abiotic stressors on their physiology.

Qualifications

• PhD Marine Biology, University of Occidental Brittany (UBO) and IFREMER (French institute for ocean science), France, 2018.
• MSc Physiology, Marine Physiology and Marine Bioressources, University Pierre and Marie Curie , Paris VI, France, 2015.
• BSc, Biology, University of South Brittany, Vannes, 2013.