Former members of the group.
Mateo Čupić
I joined the lab because of my keen interest in genetics.
In earning my Master of Science degree, I gained skills in experimental laboratory work, many of which I will apply in this research.
Specifically, I will be conducting experiments on the teleost fish Astyanax mexicanus, an ideal model organism for studying evolution in caves and adaptation in such an environment.
My team and I will focus on phenotypic plasticity, where phenotypes change under the influence of environmental variation, and the corresponding molecular mechanisms underlying such changes.
In addition, I will work with many bioinformatics tools, especially those required for the analysis of data from next-generation sequencing.
Enrico Lunghi
I am an ecologist interested in herpetology and cave biology.
Most of my researches are focused on the European cave salamanders, which I often used as model species in ecological and behavioral studies. I am also interested in studying the ecology and behavior of other cave-dwelling invertebrates, as well as cavefish.
Some of my studies are focused on understanding behavioral, morphological and genetic adaptations of species to subterranean environments.
I also work to improve the conservation of amphibians and other subterranean cave species.