Valentijn Van den Brink

Barn owls (Tyto alba) occur in a range of different habitats throughout the world. In Switzerland a continuous range of morphs from almost white without spots and heavily spotted red birds occur. This coloration is melanin-based. Theory predicts that if the coloration is linked to physiological or behavioural traits, natural selection should favour one of the morphs.
In my project I will investigate the adaptive function of this melanin based coloration. For this I will carry out field experiments as well as analyses on long-term datasets from barn owl (Tyto alba) populations. With the experiments we will try to identify selective agents underlying the difference in coloration found in the species.
Some of my other research interests are in speciation processes, hybrid zones and behavioral ecology in general.

Born on 1st of May 1978 in Ede, the Netherlands

2008-
PhD student in Evolutionary ecology at UNIL, supervised by Professor Alexandre Roulin. Project title: “The adaptive function of melanin-based coloration in the barn owl and the tawny owl”

2007
Research assistant at University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
Field work in a project investigating dispersal of breeding Black-tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa) in the group of Professor Th. Piersma.

2006/7
Research assistant at Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research (NIOZ) for benthos sampling of the Dutch Wadden Sea in the group of Th. Piersma and A. Dekinga.

2006
Masters degree in Biology with theses in animal ecology and evolutionary genetics at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands