Lynn Govaert

I am an evolutionary ecologist. I always had a fascination for traits, and how traits change and evolve. The awareness that such trait evolution can actually occur fast and interact with ecological dynamics has sparked my research interest in eco-evolutionary dynamics, in which traits play a central role. Specifically, I research how ecological and evolutionary processes interact and simultaneously shape and structure freshwater communities and ecosystems in their response to environmental change.

Laurence Bolick

I am a research technician at the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB). During my studies I became fascinated with ciliate diversity and their key role in food web dynamics. My position in Lynn Govaert’s group offers me with an ideal working environment to deepen my understanding of how ciliate communities are shaped via eco-evolutionary adaptations in a changing world. My diverse tasks include the isolation of ciliates from freshwater samples, their morphological identification and the maintenance of a large ciliate culture collection used in an array of eco-evolutionary laboratory experiments.

Emily Booms

I am a PhD student at the Leibniz-Institute of freshwater ecology and inland fisheries (IGB). During my studies in aquatic biology, I have become very interested in the effects humans can have on aquatic organisms, more specifically due to environmental change. I research the eco-evolutionary dynamics in communities of freshwater ciliates in response to environmental change.

Luis A. Macías-Pérez

I am an environmental microbiologist focusing on the characterization of microbiomes in natural and anthropogenic environments using a combination of microbiology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, and chemical techniques. I am particularly interested in investigating the diversity, function, and interactions of microbial communities, their role in the biogeochemical cycles, and their adaptation to different anthropogenic contaminants. At the IGB, I study the effects of organic pollutants on the microbial biodiversity in Berlin’s urban ponds. These ecosystems, despite being relatively understudied compared to other freshwater systems, are essential in preserving biodiversity within densely populated areas. By analyzing around 100 urban ponds through analytical chemistry, metagenomics, and culture-based methods, my aim is to gain comprehensive insights into the complex spatial and seasonal dynamics between contaminants and microbial communities within urban ecosystems.

Héléne Vanvelk

I am a PhD student at the University of Leuven. I would describe myself as a evolutionary ecologist with a particular interest in eco-evo dynamics. This has lead me to research how eco-evo dynamics of multiple species interact with each other. I place naturally co-occuring Daphnia species either in monocultures or mixed cultures in mesocosms and expose them to common selective pressures such as increasing temperature and fish predation. Then I perform various follow-up experiments to asses the evolutionary response of the different species as well as the ecological consequences of these changes. In my free time, I enjoy swimmming, diving and meeting up with friends.