Personal profile                                           

 Name: Aregu Amsalu Aserse

Date and place of birth: 10.05.1977, Ethiopia

Residency: Finland, Finnish Identity code: 100577-255K

Savelantie 6 C34, Helsinki, FIN 00720, Finland

Mobile +358 443122311, aregu.aserse@gmail.com, aregu.aserse@helsinki.fi

 Affiliation

 Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland

Viikinkaari 2a, room 2031, +358–443122311

 Summary of Expertise and skills

• Soil microbial ecology and microbial-plant interaction
• Biological nitrogen fixation and nitrogen-fixing bacteria
• Molecular techniques in the lab
• Bioinformatics, gene and genome sequence data management skills
• Field experiments with legumes inoculated with N-fixing bacteria
• Teaching and supervision of PhD and Masters Students
• Publishing peer-reviewed papers in International Journals

 Experiences                                                           

 Researcher in PASUSI project from Sep 2018

Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Faculty of Biological

 and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland

 Main responsibilities

• Trainings of Ghanaian and Ugandan experts in isolation and identification of N-fixing bacteria
• Nitrogen fixation effectiveness tests in greenhouse and biofertilizer production.
• Supervising experts working in rhizobium legume inoculation in the field in Ghana and Uganda
• Genome sequencing and molecular data analyses and field data management
• Manuscript preparation

 Visiting researcher, Oct 2017-Augest 2018

Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Faculty of Biological

 and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland

Activities

• Genomic analysis of  plant and soil associated bacteria
• Supervision of PhD students
• Multivariate data analyses using Primer-E program
• Manuscript preparation

 Post-doctoral researcher, Feb 2014 – Sept 2017

Department of Environmental Sciences,  Faculty of Biological

 and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland

 Main responsibilities were

• Studying rhizobia-legume interactions in greenhouse and field experiment
• Molecular and genome sequence analyses of plant & soil associated bacteria
• Lab management, preparing lab instructions and protocols
• Supervision of PhD and masters students
• Manuscript preparation
• Teaching masters and postgraduate students and trainees in the lab

 Visiting researcher, July 2008 – Nov 2010

Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland

• Isolation, cultivation and characterization of soil and legume-nodulating  bacteria using

 the application of molecular techniques and gene sequencing.

• Studying the nitrogen fixation potential of rhizobia in the greenhouse.

Education

 PhD in Microbiology, Nov 2013
 Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

PhD dissertation: Diversity and Phylogeny of Root Nodule Bacteria Isolated from Tree, Shrub and Food Legumes.

 MSc in Applied Microbiology, April 2007

Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

 MSc thesis:  Symbiotic and phenotypic characterization of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar vicia isolates of field pea (pisum sativm) from different Pulse growing regions of Ethiopia

 Skills

 Laboratory skills

• PCR, DNA isolation, genetic fingerprinting and plasmid transformation
• Microbiological techniques
• Isolation and cultivation of bacteria from soil and plant samples
• Characterization, identification and description of microorganisms by using phenotypic, biochemical, and molecular techniques.

Bioinformatics and Statistical skills

• Multilocus locus gene sequence analyses and phylogenetic analyses
• Genome annotation and prediction
• Microbial genome and metagenomics analyses
• Comparative genomic sequence analysis
• AFLP fingerprint analysis using bionumerics software
• Multivariate analyses, such as Primer-E program
• Programing in R

Computer skills

 Microsoft office (word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access)

• Different standalone and web-based bioinformatics software
• Linux operating system

 Language skills

English: fluent level of command. English was the medium of instruction in all of my higher secondary school, Bachelor, Masters and Doctoral studies. It has always been the medium of communication and working language in my career.

Finnish: basic level  

Amharic: mother tongue language

 review services

 I have been serving as reviewer for various international Journals, such as 

 Standards in Genomic Sciences

• Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetics
• Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
• FEMS Microbiology Ecology
• Microbiology Ecology
• Systematic and applied microbiology
• Journal of Symbiosis
• European Journal of Soil Biology

 REFERENCE

1.      Kristina Lindström, Professor

 Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences and  Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS)

P.O. Box 65 (Viikinkaari 2, room 2039), FI-00014, +358 29 4158854, University of Helsinki, Finland,

http://tuhat.halvi.helsinki.fi/portal/en/person/lindstro http://blogs/helsinki.fi/soilman-uh/ 

E-mail. Kristina.lindstrom@elsinki.fi  

1.  Petri Penttinen, Dr

Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences

PO Box 65 (Viikinkaari 2a), FIN-00014, +358–41-5243194, University of  Helsinki, Finland.

E-mail.  petri.penttinen@helsinki.fi

            School of Environmental and Resource Sciences Zhejiang Agriculture & Forestry University

            No. 666 Wusu Street, Lin'an, Hangzhou 311300 China, +86-137-77446495

 Philippe de Lajudie, Dr

LSTM, IRD, CIRAD, Univ. Montpellier, INRA, SupAgro, Montpellier, France

Philippe.Lajudie@ird.fr

List of Publications

 1. Aserse Aregu Amsalu et al. (2017). Draft genome sequences of Bradyrhizobium shewense sp. nov. ERR11T and Bradyrhizobium yuanmingense CCBAU 10071^T. Stand Genomic Sci. 12:74

2. Aserse Aregu Amsalu et al. (2017). Draft genome sequence of type strain HBR26^T and description of Rhizobium aethiopicum sp. nov. Standards in Genomic Sciences 12:14

1. Aregu Amsalu Aserse et al., (2016). Taxonomic diversity and symbiotic efficiency of rhizobial strains obtained from nodules of Medicago sativa growing in Iran. Annals of Biological Research, 2016, 7 (3):29-38.
2. Kristina Lindström, Aregu Amsalu Aserse, Seyed Abdollah Mousavi1, (2015). Evolution and taxonomy of nitrogen-fixing organisms with emphasis on rhizobia, Biological Nitrogen Fixation, Volume 1, 1st ed (edited by Frans J. de Bruijn.) John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
3. Aregu Amsalu Aserse et al., (2013). Diversity of sporadic symbionts and non-symbiotic endophytic bacteria isolated from nodules of woody, shrub and food legumes in Ethiopia. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 97:10117–10134.
4. Aregu Amsalu Aserse et al., (2012). Phylogenetically diverse groups of Bradyrhizobium isolated from nodules of Crotalaria spp., Indigofera spp., Erythrina brucei and Glycine max growing in Ethiopia. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 65(2): 595-609.
5. Aregu Amsalu Aserse et al., (2012). Phylogeny and genetic diversity of native rhizobia nodulating common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in Ethiopia. Systematic and Applied Microbiology 35(2): 120-131.
6. Aregu Amsalu et al., (2012). Symbiotic and phenotypic characterization of Rhizobium isolates of field pea (Pisum sativum L.) Fabaceae, from central and southern Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Biological Sciences 11(2): 163-179.

List of Abstracts of Oral and Poster Presentations

 1. Aregu Aserse, Daniel Markos, Gennet Getachew, Markku Yli_Halla, Kristina Lindström. Rhizobial Inoculation improves Drought tolerance, Biomass and Grain yields of Soybean and Common bean in Southern Ethiopia. 13th European Nitrogen Fixation Conference (ENFC) Conference, August 18 - 21 2018, Stockholm, Sweden.

1. Aregu Amsalu Aserse, Tanja Woyke, Nikos C. Kyrpides, William B. Whitman, Kristina Lindström. Draft Genome Sequence and Description of Rhizobium boleqi sp. nov. 12^th European Nitrogen Fixation Conference, 25-28 August 2016, Budapest, Hungary.
2. Kristina Lindström, Aregu Amsalu Aserse, Markku Yli-Halla, Mila Sell, Beimnet Hailemariam, Asefa Fassil, Daniel Markos, Gennet Getachew, Galfato Gabiso, Zebene Asfaw. SOILMAN - Mapping, Management and Resilience of Ecosystem Services for Food Security and Response to Climate Change in Ethiopia. 12^th European Nitrogen Fixation Conference, 25-28 August 2016, Budapest, Hungary
3. Aregu Amsalu Aserse, Leena A. Räsänen, Fassil Assefa, Kristina Lindström (12).  Diversity and characterization of endophytic bacteria isolated from nodules of Woody, shrub and food legumes in Ethiopia.  10^th European Nitrogen Fixation Conference, Munich, Germany 2-5 September 2012, Abstract in the Program Handbook, page 109.
4.  Aregu Amsalu Aserse, Leena.A.Räsänen ,Fassil Assefa, Asfaw Hailemariam and Kristina Lindström.  Diversity and phylogeny of Bradyrhizobium spp. Isolated from shrub and tree legumes in Ethiopia, poster presentation, 17th International Congress on Nitrogen Fixation, Fremantle, Western Australia, 27 November – 1 December 2011, Abstract in the Program Handbook, page 145.
5. Abrham M. Tekelemichael, Aregu Amsalu Aserse, Leena A. Räsänen, Tamerat B. Letta and Kristina Lindström. Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) for sustainable agriculture in Ethiopia, 2009, Poster presented on 100th Anniversary of Faculty of Agriculture and forestry, University of Helsinki.
6. Aregu Amsalu, Fassil Assefa, Kristina Lindström and Leena A.Räsänen. Diversity and nodulation study of rhizobia isolated from woody and food legumes in Ethiopia, 15-19 June 2009, Abstract and poster presentation , BAGECO 10 conference , Uppsala, Sweden