Hey! Welcome! If you are looking for information about biology and you are interested in ecology and evolution you are on the right site!! I am an evolutionary biologist and I can help you with any question regarding ecology and evolution.
During my bachelor’s at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, I studied marine invertebrate biodiversity that lives in brown algae assemblages. Fascinated by aquatic life, I pursued an MSc in Hydrobiology. For my thesis, supervised by Prof. Dr. Theodore J. Abatzopoulos and Dr. Ilias Kappas, I explored the spatio-temporal variability of benthic macrofauna, particularly amphipods, in lagoon ecosystems.
Subsequently, I pursued a PhD in evolutionary biology at the University of Potsdam, in the group of Prof. Dr. Ralph Tiedemann, with co-supervision from Dr. Guntram Weithoff (Ecology & Ecosystem modelling). My doctoral research focused on understanding how rotifers, tiny planktonic organisms, respond to rising temperatures and their potential for adaptation in a warming world. Using RNA analysis, I investigated genes contributing to their adaptive capabilities.
Completing my PhD was the first step to advance my scientific career and then I moved in Israel to conduct my first Postdoctoral research in collaboration with Dr. Frida Ben-Ami in Tel Aviv University. There, I initiated a new line of research studying rotifer biodiversity in temporal ponds in a very diverse range of habitats (desert to mountains) by applying metacommunity ecology and molecular techniques (funded by the Potsdam – Tel Aviv universities joint Postdoctoral Fellowships and a Postdoctoral Fellowship from The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History). I also worked on host-parasite interactions by using the Daphnia-Metschnikowia host-parasite system and try to underline the molecular mechanisms behind transgenerational inheritance of immunity (funded by the George S. Wise Postdoctoral Fellowship).
I am currently working at Lund University in Courtney Stairs‘ lab, where I apply single-cell RNA sequencing to explore eukaryote-eukaryote-prokaryote symbiotic relationships as a mechanism for adaptation to low oxygen conditions (funded by the Carl Tryggers Foundation). I have also launched a new research direction in a protist-focused lab, investigating lateral gene transfer (LGT) in marine and freshwater sponges, and its role in facilitating the transition between marine and freshwater environments, supported by the Crafoord Foundation. Additionally, I study the impact of LGT events from protists to sponges, particularly in relation to the acquisition of an anaerobiosis-specific cofactor, Rhodoquinone.
Information about my ongoing research you can find on the relevant page or my ResearchGate site, my Linkedin profile and my ORCID.
If you think you want to learn more the “tinny but mighty” organisms please visit my posts. Also there you can find articles about outreach, teaching, and many other contributions.
Please find my more detailed CV on the respective page.
