Aquaculture
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Agustin Barria Gonzalez [Alumni]

Robledo Group, Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Current research

Agustin Barria

I’m currently working on estimating the genetic variation for resistance to Tilapia Lake virus (TILV) on a Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) breeding population. I'm also working to dissect the genetic architecture of this important commercial trait and develop novel methods to improve genomic selection for resistance to this virus. This information will be useful for planning breeding strategies to reduce mortalities by means of genetic improvement.

 

Favourite aquaculture species

Commerson’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus commersonii), which is mainly found on the southwest coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Background

As a biochemist, I worked developing a novel method to identify, simultaneously, three of the main pathogens affecting the Chilean salmoniculture. i.e. Renibacterium salmoninarum, Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV) and Infectious Salmon Anaemia Virus (ISAV), through a multiplex qRT-PCR.

During my PhD I worked on quantitative genetics and genomics (Genomic-wide association studies and genomic selection) for resistance to Piscirickettsia salmonis in a Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) breeding population.

  • [2004 – 2011]           Undergraduate studies (Biochemistry)
  • [2011 – 2014]           Research assistant at Aquainnovo, Puerto Montt, Chile
  • [2014 – 2019]           PhD student (Aquaculture)
  • [2019 – Present]     Postgraduate research fellow at the Roslin Institute.

 

Interests, hopes and dreams

I’m a frustrated soccer player. My dream was always to win an international cup with Colo-Colo (Chilean soccer team), scoring a goal in the last minute, evading the goalkeeper and with the stadium full of people. Unfortunately, I was too bad, so for the sake of football I retired young. Now I like hiking, camping, mainly being in nature, and if it is with a beer and a good wine, even better. I’m also a novice photographer and a grunge music fan.

 

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