Email address: Arne.Levsen@nifes.no

Homepage:http://nifes.no/ansatt/arne-levsen-2/

Dr Arne Levsen, National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES), Norway

Current position: Dr Levsen holds since 2002 a senior scientist position at NIFES. He is in charge of the parasitology research and advisory activities, integrated in the institute’s section of contaminants and biohazards. Dr Levsen is currently running or involved in several research projects, e.g. funded by the EU (PARASITE, GA n^o 312068), the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund (FHF), and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.

The projects address various parasitological aspects concerning the safety and quality of fish and fishery products including farmed Norwegian salmon (Salmo salar) and cultured Pangasius (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) in Vietnam (as scientific partner of the Institute for Biotechnology and Environment, Nha Trang University).

Current research: His current research interest is on the life cycle of the marine parasite Anisakis simplex, especially focusing on the species’ phenotypic and genotypic plasticity at the intermediate/ paratenic host level. In another newly initiated project, he studies the ecology incl. the life cycle, of the myxosporean parasite species Kudoa thyrsites in Atlantic mackerel. Dr Levsen has since 2007 been attending deputy member of the National committee for contagious diseases from food. During 2009-2010, and 2011, he was appointed as scientific expert member of two working groups under the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) BIOHAZ Panel; 1) on ‘Risk assessment of parasites in fishery products’, and 2) on ‘Fish parasites in the Baltic Sea’.