Research projects

Research Projects

EU ERA-NET-Cofund Biodiv-Connect project BirdBridge 2027-2031

EU ERA-NET-Cofund Biodiv-Restore project ResPond (www.respondproject.eu) 2022-2025

EcoBRIDGE — Enhancing conservation of Biosphere Reserves through interdisciplinary science and socio-ecological governance (VUB internal research fund) 2026-2031

CocoaScale — Balancing pollination, pests, and biodiversity in cocoa agroforestry systems (2025-2028)

VLIRUOS Institutional University Cooperation (IUC) project with the Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) in Tanzania (first term: 2015-2019, second term 2019- 2022).

FWO research project (3E100474; 01.01.2009 – 31.12.2012) Interactions between ecological and evolutionary processes in metacommunities along a sub continental climate gradient 2012-2015         

FWO research project (3E110799; 01.01.2012 – 31.12.2015) The evolutionary ecology of bet hedging 2013 – 2016

VUB Global Minds Small Great project (SGP14): Barcoding for chocolate – 2018

VUB Global Minds Small Great project (SGP23):  Material Happiness -Uncoupling a meaningful life from the destruction of nature – 2018

VLOV92: (2019 – 2021): Living Lab project from the Flemish Government. Urban ponds. This is a project with an educational and a research component.

VLIR South Initiative. SERIAL: Socio – Ecological resilience in Agricultural landscapes (VLIR South Initiative) (2019-2021)

FWO : Research into the driving force of multi-species habitat selection as a link between local and regional biodiversity patterns in aquatic (meta) communities. (postdoctoral mandate Hendrik Trekels: 2016-2018)

 FWO: Filling trophic niche space in ancient island habitats – when does ecology outpace evolution and vice versa? (postdoctoral mandate Tom Pinceel: 2019-2021)

Completed PhD projects

Year	PhD candidate	Dissertation title	Role
2014	Tom Pinceel	Dormancy, dispersal and evolution in temporary waters	Co-supervisor
2014	Falko Buschke	The processes underlying continental-scale biodiversity patterns: Mechanisms at the interface of ecology and biogeography	Co-supervisor
2015	Jane Reniers	Managing reproductive challenges in time constrained environments: Amphibian life history variation from clutch to landscape	Co-supervisor
2018*	Arnout Grégoir	The role of epigenetic modification in adaptive radiation	Co-supervisor
2019*	Karen Tuytens	Development of a spatially integrated model for the management of surface water in dryland areas with applications for wildlife management and malaria control	Co-supervisor
2019	Mathil Vandromme	Shedding new light on the cacao pollinator puzzle: Towards a reliable identification of cacao pollinators and their breeding habitats	Supervisor
2020	Grite Nelson Mwaijengo	Towards sustainable management of inland waters in Tanzania: Assessing the ecological integrity of river ecosystems in the Upper Pangani River Basin	Co-supervisor
2022	Lise Beirinckx	Disentangling ongoing hybridization and cryptic species of the submerged macrophyte genus Ruppia, using ecological and molecular insights	Supervisor*
2022	Lana Ramaekers	Freshwater zooplankton under elevated pCO₂: From individual to community effects	Supervisor
2022	Evelien Deboelpaep	Connectivity of migration landscapes: From suitable wetland habitats to suitable networks for migratory waterbirds	Supervisor
2023	Ángela Aristizábal-Botero	Ecological dynamics of macroinvertebrates from the inselbergs of the Colombian Guiana Shield	Supervisor
2023	Gordian Rocky Mataba	Exploring integrated strategies to control oviposition and larval development in mosquitoes in northern Tanzania	Supervisor
2023	Yusuph Aron Kafula	Impact of land-use and pesticide contamination on structure and functioning of temporary pond ecosystems: Focusing on the Lake Manyara Basin, Tanzania	Co-supervisor
2024	Joren Snoeks	The ecological dynamics of inselberg rock pool communities: From local to global scale	Supervisor
2025*	Lisa Partoens	Evaluating the connectivity of wetland networks and the effectiveness of wetland restoration for waterbirds in the Western Palearctic	Supervisor

Ongoing and Recently Funded PhD projects

PhD candidate	PhD research project	Funding	Period	Role
Eliza Nathalie Van de Sande	Barcoding for chocolate: Solving the cacao pollination puzzle using genetic tools	FWO SB	2021–2025	Supervisor
Vincent Dolmans	BIRDSCAPES: Quantifying resource landscapes as a tool for waterbird conservation in Flanders	FWO SB	2022–2026	Supervisor
Leonard De Causmaecker	More than meets the eye: A laser-based platform for large-scale biomonitoring of airborne animals	FWO SB	2024–2029	Supervisor
Sofie Van Daele	Backyard beavers: Quantifying the ecological and hydrological impacts of Eurasian beaver in urban and rural landscapes	FWO SB	2025–2029	Supervisor