As professor in reindeer husbandry, my research interests are mainly related to reindeer and reindeer husbandry. Focus is on reindeer management in relation to nutrition and utilization of natural grazing resources within pastoral reindeer herding. My research involves animal health and welfare, supplementary feeding, radioactive contamination, adaptive management and effects of predators.
Research Skills:
Biologist with main focus on animal science, educated at Uppsala University, PhD at SLU 1994, Associate professor in Animal Science at SLU 2002. Professor in Reindeer Husbandry since 2010. My professional background contains thirty years of research related to reindeer management and nutrition, and production in reindeer husbandry.
Activities and assignments other than research:
Teaching at undergraduate and graduate level, supervision for PhD and master students, Editor in Chief for the scientific journal Rangifer (http://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/rangifer/), president of Arctic Ungulate Society (arcticungulate.org). Member of the board of the faculty of Veterinary medicine and Animal science at SLU, member of the board for Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD), http://www.csduppsala.uu.se/ and the board of the Ájtte Museum in Jokkmokk (http://www.ajtte.com/).
On-going projects:
| Title | Project managers |
| ReiGN: Reindeer husbandry in a Globalizing North - resilience, adaptations and pathways for actions. | Øystein Holand, NMBU. Birgitta Åhman coordinates networking activities within the project. |
| Brown bear predation on reindeer calves and preventive measures | Birgitta Åhman, Anna Skarin in cooperation with other Nordic scientists |
| Radioactive contamination in reindeer and reindeer habitats (research and advisory activities) | Birgitta Åhman |
| Reindeer health – improved knowledge (compiling knowledge, information and education) | Birgitta Åhman, cooperation with SVA and Gård- och Djurhälsan |