As an evolutionary biologist/palaeontologist with a broad interest in bat evolution I study the oldest fossil bat remains by using the newest state-of-the-art techniques. I also work as a Sample Manager at ARISE, a project where Naturalis, together with the Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute and the universities of Amsterdam and Twente, is building an infrastructure that knows and recognizes all (multicellular) Dutch species. Every species, every sample, every way, quickly - and with all data connected. In the past I have been involved in the Dinolab, excavations in the United States and several positions within the Collection department.
Keywords
Palaeontology , Evolutionary Biology, Bats, Fossils, Mammals, CT-scanning, ARISE, Biodiversity, Collection
ResearchInterest
I have obtained a Bachelor degree in Biology and a Masters degree in Evolutionary Biology at Leiden University. I did a minor in Biodiversity and Natural Environment in Leiden and a summercourse in Fysiological Antroplogy at the University of Amsterdam. As a member of the Bat Phenotypes and Evolution Network (BPEN), part of the Global Union of Bat Diversity Networks (GBatNet), I collaborate with researchers worldwide to describe and document the phenotypes of bats (living and extinct) and seek to elucidate the developmental, functional, and evolutionary forces that have shaped their exceptional diversity.
The oldest fossil skeletons of bats are found in the Green River Formation in Wyoming (USA) and are about 53 million years old. These fossil bats are very similar to extant bats. However, sometimes you can find subtle differences that yield information about the life of extinct bats and might bring us closer to the discovery of a possible ancestor.
