The STELLAR Research Group
Menu
It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) that those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed
Group Members
Postdoctoral Researchers
Alexandra Laking
Alex recently completed her PhD in Veterinary Sciences at Ghent University, Belgium, entitled “The ecology of chytridiomycosis: endemism, refugia and reciprocal effects between amphibian hosts and their environment”. Her research focused on environmental factors driving Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and B. salamandrivorans disease dynamics as well as the effects that the loss of populations due to these diseases can have on forest ecosystems. She has always had a passion for reptiles and amphibians, and she is particularly interested in their trophic interactions and utilization of microhabitats within an ecosystem. Her research has focused on tropical rainforests as well as montane environments within Central America and Asia. Alex is now mainly working on the ecophysiology of high tepui amphibians and reptiles in the framework of our project EXILE (funded by NCN)
Research Assistants
Mina Zaki
Mina earned a master’s degree in Biology specializing in Herpetology from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium. His thesis implemented micro-CT scanning to allow close examination of Permian temnospondyl fossils embedded within a rock matrix, enabling him to render images of them in 3D. Throughout his life he has had a passion for herpetology, and he is particularly interested in challenging environments, such as montane or arid areas, and the adaptations of reptiles and amphibians in these regions. He has been fortunate enough to conduct fieldwork in such challenging locations as Venezuela’s Auyán-tepui, the Chiricahua and Huachuca Mountain ranges in the USA and the Hajar Mountains of the United Arab Emirates