I combine genomics and spatial modelling to assist biodiversity management in our rapidly changing world. I i) investigate patterns and mechanisms shaping diversity in changing environments (past, present and future) across individuals, populations and species, and ii) develop cutting edge bio- and eco-informatic tools for automating complex analyses with practical applications for biodiversity monitoring and management. I mainly focus on African and European vertebrates (especially amphibians), but I also work with a wide variety of taxonomic groups and geographical regions through my collaborative network, and recently started a project to use eDNA approaches to monitor biodiversity.
In the Biodiversity Hotspot group, I assist with population genomic approaches, including historical demography, and predictive modelling to assess which populations are vulnerable to extinction, and which ones may have relevant adaptive potential under e.g. future climate change ('life on the edge', see here).
Besides being a guest researcher, I'm also a staff researcher at Wageningen University and Research in the Centre for Genetic Resources and Animal Breeding and Genomics departments.
Keywords
Bioinformatics, Conservation genomics, Demographic history, eDNA, Genetic diversity, Population genomics, Spatial modelling