I am an evolutionary genomicist interested in the genetic mechanisms lying behind phenotypic diversity and adaptation, especially in insects. I’m currently doing a PhD in Melanie Brien’s group Colourful Insect Genomics.

My PhD focuses on Callimorpha dominula, the scarlet tiger moth, as I am trying to decipher the genes and regulatory networks responsible for the species’ colour polymorphism, variable melanisation, and iridescence.

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I am interested in the ecology and evolution of moths and butterflies.

Here, I will focus on whether the melanic patterns of the wood tiger moth represent thermal adaptation to the environment, linking genomic data to phenotype, function, and fitness.

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I am interested in the evolution and genetic basis of colour pattern traits in Lepidoptera. In the EEI group, I studied the mechanisms producing colour polymorphism in the wood tiger moth.

Currently, I am an Academy Research Fellow in the Department of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology – studying more broadly how phenotypic diversity emerges and is maintained across populations using tiger moths as model species. My new group’s website can be found here: Colourful Insect Genomics

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I am a behavioural ecologist interested in the factors which influence an animal’s foraging decisions.

My current research focuses on the different ways moths might deter predators using visual signals. To achieve this, I am using a new touchscreen operating system where we can train predators (blue tits) to attack simulated prey. This technology provides the opportunity to empirically test previously theoretical principles on wild birds.

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I am a master’s student at the university of Helsinki. I study in the Master’s Programme in Ecology and Evolutionary biology.

I am interested in predator-prey interactions and insect ecology in general. My master’s project focuses on the feeding and basking activity of wood tiger moth larvae in terms of different geographic ranges and photoperiods. I aim to link my results to potential effects of climate change on insect populations.

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I am an evolutionary biologist interested in how genetic variation gives rise to phenotypic diversity, particularly in animal colouration, and how these traits shape interactions between species. My research combines genomic and evolutionary approaches to understand the processes connecting genotype, phenotype, and adaptation.

During my PhD, I investigated the genetic basis of colour polymorphism in poison frogs, focusing on pigment biology and the evolution of warning colouration. I am now starting as a postdoctoral researcher in the Ecology and Evolution of Interactions group at the University of Helsinki, where I will study the genetics of melanin-based colouration in the wood tiger moth. I aim to understand how colour variation develops, how it is maintained within populations, and how it relates to ecological interactions.

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I started working as a Laboratory Coordinator in the Ecology & Evolution of Interactions Group in December 2020 at Viikki.

I’m passionate about larval rearing and keeping good care of the moth stock is my top priority. Entering the world of Arctia plantaginis moths has been a fantastic step in my technician career!

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I am interested in the evolution of chemical defence in insects and its variation across species. 

My PhD work focuses on examining the evolution and prevalence of de novo synthesized pyrazines as a chemical defence in Arctiinae species.

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I am interested in how organisms interact with their social and physical environment and how those interactions shape biodiversity on different levels ranging from individual behaviour to species ranges and evolutionary trajectories.

My research focuses on linking behavioural ecology with biogeography to improve our ability to predict ecological outcomes. I use the wood tiger moth as a study system to experimentally test key eco-evolutionary interactions maintaining phenotypic variation in the wild.

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I am interested in better understanding the positive and negative effects of sexual selection on a population level.

My PhD focused on the role of sexual selection in generating balancing selection and maintaining color polymorphism in the wood tiger moth.

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