Øystein Evensen is head of the research group "Host-pathogen interactions in infection and immunity" at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. He got his degree in veterinary medicine from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science in 1984 and his PhD in pathology from the same institution in 1987.

He has worked for more than 10 years after his PhD as research scientist at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute in Oslo, Norway, more than 7 years in pharmaceutical industry with development of vaccines for finfish, particularly salmon. Over the last 17 years he has been full professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, where he heads a research group of more than 15 people, including research scientists, post docs and Phd students. The research groups is focusing on viral and bacterial diseases of farmed salmon, mechanisms of infection and vaccine development and is funded through projects from the Research Council of Norway and the EU Framework program. Evensen is also WP leader of the SLRC, Sea Lice Research Center (a CRI) focusing on host-parasite interactions and immune related mitigation related to sea lice infections.

The research group is heavily involved in research and capacity building in Africa (Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda) through a NORHED (NORAD)-funded research programme, focusing on capacity building and training of young research scientists in the south.

The research group also uses model fish for study of infection mechanisms and pathogenic events of disease (pathogenesis) related to viral infections. Here the group has used reverse genetics made viruses to understand virulence mechanisms and virulence factors that the virus employ to circumvent antiviral responses of the host.

Publications are found here