David Berger

Uppsala University

Experimental evolutionary ecologist working on seed beetles and other insects. Studies plastic and genetic responses to environmental stress as well as local (mal)adaptation stemming from sexual selection and mating system variation. Works mainly in the lab applying experimental evolution and quantitative genetic breeding designs.

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Merel C. Breedveld

University of Padova

I am broadly interested in reproduction and sexual selection. Through my research I’d like to understand whether animals adjust reproductive strategies in response to changing external conditions, to ultimately understand the consequences of environmental change on reproductive success and animal populations. I am currently a Marie Curie fellow in the lab of Clelia Gaparini, working on a project to understand the effects of heatwaves on fertility, sexual selection, reproductive behaviour and transgenerational fitness using the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) as a model system.

Email me: merel.breedveld@unipd.it

Pau Carazo

University of Valencia

I am generally interested in the evolution and function of behaviour, and in the role that behaviour plays as a spearhead of evolutionary change. Currently, my main line of research is on biotic and abiotic factors modulating the intensity of sexual selection and sexual conflict, as well as ensueing eco-evolutionary feedback on population viability. More specifically, one of my main aims is to understand the role of temperature in the above.

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Regan Early

Position or Job Title

Regan Early leads the FABio research group, which studies the distributions of species around the world. Our basic approach is to use patterns in species distributions to understand many aspects of species ecology – climate tolerances, biotic interactions, population dynamics, phenology – and how these will be affected by changes in climate and landscapes. We work at large scales, using computer models to study hundreds of species across countries and continents. We use our research to help guide conservation, evaluating the effectiveness of current and proposed management strategies, and working with social scientists to study how the choices that people make affect how conservation works. 

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Sinead English

University of Bristol

My research investigates how variation in environmental and maternal conditions shapes offspring development, behaviour and life history. I use a variety of approaches, including mathematical models, comparative analyses and empirical tests on unusual and important model systems, including the disease-carrying tsetse fly.

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Graziella Iossa

University of Lincoln

I am an evolutionary ecologist with broad interests in evolutionary and ecological mechanisms. My focus is on reproduction and the interplay between evolution, behaviour and ecology. I study egg-sperm co-evolution and how this shapes reproductive traits in male and female insects, particularly butterflies and moths. I also investigate how fertility is affected by temperature in the laboratory, and want to expand this work to nature, particularly microclimatic effects at the individual and population level.  

My website https://graziellaiossa.weebly.com/

Email me: giossa@lincoln.ac.uk

Malgorzata (Losia) Lagisz

University of New South Wales

I am a biologist with research experience and skills in different fields of science. In my research I address biological questions using research synthesis on data from model organisms and other systems. My work includes meta-analyses of maternal effects, aspects of ageing, evolution and differences between the sexes. I also contribute to methodological works addressing widespread issues in meta-analysis, such as non-independence, allometric scaling, heterogeneity, data sharing, reporting quality and research synthesis guidelines, leading to improved scientific practice.

Email me: m.lagisz@unsw.edu.au

Stefan Lüpold

University of Zurich

I study reproductive evolution from large-scale macroevolutionary patterns to a more detailed mechanistic understanding in insect model systems. I am particularly interested in the interactions between individuals and their dynamic social and multivariate environmental context. Currently, we are also focusing on the microbiome as a potential mediator of environmental effects (e.g., diet, temperature, environmental toxins) on insect reproductive performance.

Email me: stefan.luepold@ieu.uzh.ch

Margarida Matos

University of Lisbon

Margarida Matos’ research uses Experimental evolution as tool and Drosophila subobscura as model organism. The main goal of her research is the analysis of the evolution to novel
environments of populations founded from contrasting latitudes, to understand the role of
History and Selection during Adaptation. This is approached by analyzing real time laboratory evolution of Drosophila subobscura populations founded from contrasting latitudes. The goal of the main ongoing project, ADAPTCLIMWARM (PI: Pedro Simões; Co-PI M. Matos; Hired Researcher Marta Santos) is to understand the evolutionary potential and genetic basis of thermal adaptation across biological levels (from inversions, transcriptomics, genomics, to physiology and life history traits), when different thermal regimes are imposed on such populations.

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Shinichi Nakagawa

University of New South Wales

My research interests are very diverse but usually fall into three categories: 1) Animal Behaviour, 2) Evolutionary Biology and 3) Applied Statistics. My main model organisms have primarily been birds (sparrows, dunnocks  and penguins), but I have also worked with earthworms, amphipods, frogs and fish (to be honest, I prefer eating, rather than studying, the last model system). Currently, my main experimental model is zebrafish in collaboration with Dr Dan Hesselson at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.

Email me: s.nakagawa@unsw.edu.au

Jonathan Parrett

Adam Mickiewicz University 

My main research interests are related to understanding the effect of sexual selection on population fitness, adaptation and extinction, particularly during environmental stress. The main approach of my current research is experimental evolution in laboratory systems, specifically using mites, in which I investigate the role sexual selection and sexually selected traits may have at the population, individual and gene level. Moreover, a lot of my research is focused on how these outcomes are influenced by thermal stress.

Email me: jonathan.parrett@amu.edu.pl

Steve Ramm

Université de Rennes

I’m an evolutionary biologist studying traits linked to fertility such as spermatogenesis, seminal fluid and self-fertilization, mainly using simultaneously hermaphroditic flatworms (and the occasional bushcricket). I am especially interested in linking molecular and organismal perspectives on adaptive evolution and plasticity, driven by both biotic and abiotic environmental factors.

Email me: steven.ramm@univ-rennes.fr

Inon Scharf

Tel Aviv University

I study the behavior and ecology of (mostly) insects. My lab engages with various questions, such as what the optimal way to obtain food is, when an insect should reproduce, how to balance conflicting energetic demands, such as feeding and reproduction, and how stress affects animal performance. We mostly conduct controlled lab experiments but nevertheless also work in the natural habitat of the studied animals. My current research focuses on three main themes: (1) Learning in desert ants in the context of foraging; (2) thermal ecology of flour beetles and especially the effect of stressful temperatures on their performance; and (3) habitat use of sand-dwelling animals, such as antlions, wormlions, and desert vipers.

Email me: scharfi@tauex.tau.ac.il

Eva Schultner

University of Regensburg

I study evolutionary biology because I want to understand how interactions between organisms and their natural environment shape trait evolution. Using ants as models, I address questions about behavior, development and genetics, taking into consideration both the ants themselves and their microbial symbionts.

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Pedro Simões

University of Lisbon

I am interested in understanding the patterns of adaptation to global warming at (1) phenotypic level, including fecundity, productivity, thermal tolerance, and gene expression changes, as well as (2) addressing genomic patterns of variation and differentiation. I use experimental evolution as a tool and Drosophila subobscura as my organism of study.

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Ram Vasudeva

University of East Anglia

II am an Evolutionary ecologist with broad interests in the evolution of reproduction and reproductive traits. Using experimentally evolving insect models, I study the interaction between temperature and reproduction, sex-specific fitness consequences, phenotypic adaptations and its population-level effects using an evolutionary framework. My current work focuses on male-specific infertility in response to heat stress in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. I am also interested in the role of sexual selection in the rapid evolution of primary reproductive traits.

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Z. Valentina Zizzari

VU University of Amsterdam

My research background encompasses sexual selection, sex pheromone communication, reproductive morphology, and adaptation to rapid environmental changes. I am fascinated by the variety of animal reproductive modes. Much of my work focuses on systems displaying “less conventional” modes of reproduction, such as indirect sperm transfer, parthenogenesis, as well as systems having both sexes within the same organism. Currently, my research is mainly aimed at the investigation of the consequences of thermal stress on animal communication and reproductive success.

Email me: z.v.zizzari@vu.nl