My PhD combines various aspects of range ecology and population genetics, focusing on the genetic consequences of species range contractions. I am interested in seeing whether recent (anthropogenically-driven) range reductions have left genetic signatures in remnant populations, and what demographic processes have led to current patterns. For this purpose, I focus on butterflies as model organisms. Butterflies respond quickly to environmental changes, by range reductions or shifts. They are also well studied under temperate latitudes, with distribution records and museum collections from the past century that provide information on distribution changes through time. In my project, I aim to investigate the genetics behind such range reductions and shifts.
April 2014 -
PhD at the Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, in the group of Prof. Nadir Alvarez. “Genetic consequences of species range contractions.”
2012-2014
Msc in Biology (Behavior, Evolution, Conservation) at the Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne: first-step project supervised by Prof. Nadir Alvarez & Dr. Nils Arrigo: “Gene flow between wheat and its wild relatives: the case of Aegilops triuncialis in Andalusia”, followed by master's thesis with Prof. Antoine Guisan: “Invasion of Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) in the Swiss Prealps”.
