My mission is to understand how adaptation at the level of individuals (pphenotypic plasticity), population (genetic evolution), and community (ecological sorting) in combination with neutral ecological and evolutionary dynamics shaped the diversity of life in time and space. I am particularly interested in the predictability of this change, both on the short term, which has important applications in managing agricultural and natural systems, and on the long term, which is relevant for our understanding on the origin and diversification of life on Earth. As assistant professor of Evolutionary Ecology in the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics at the University of Amsterdam I teach and investigate the evolutionary consequeces of biotic interactions, ranging from sexual communication to animal-microbe co-evolution. I aim to lead a team that studies fundamental questions about the dynamics of biodiversity and engages in transdiciplinary activities to brgin that research to society. My research combines population genetics, experimental evolution, and behavioral experiments to identify the emergent properties of biological interactions with public outreach activities. Read more about my current and past research on the nematodes, moths, crickets, and herpetofauna here.
Contact information
University of Amsterdam
Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics
Science Park 904
1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
AMCOOL steering board member
Origins Center steering board member
NLSEB steering board member
Thomas Blankers
Assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam