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Co-supervised by Dr. Benedikt Schmidt (IEU Group Leader & Swiss Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Program) and Dr. Janine Bolliger (WSL).
In order to pursue my passion for conservation genetics, I have started a Master degree in Biology here at the University of Zurich.. During my bachelor degree I mainly focused on conservation from a more traditional point of view, learning species and community identification and how to take measurements to halt biodiversity loss and ensure species persistence. From this background I developed the view that incorporating genetic components is the essential next step in order to better understand conservation approaches.
For my Masters project I decided to study the two endangered amphibians species (Alytes obstetricans and Epidalea calamita), for which populations have strongly decreased over recent decades. In order to stop further losses, translocation projects in the cantons of Zurich, Lucerne, and St. Gallen have been launched to reintroduce new populations and support present populations. In my project I use microsatellite markers to determine the population structure of these populations, and identify whether translocated population differ from natural population in terms of genetic diversity and genetic differentiation. With this information I hope to use landscape genetic approaches to identify landscape features that limit migration between populations. The overall goal of this project is to evaluate the success of these conservation interventions and help inform future conservation efforts to produce more effective conservation success.
CV
2013-2016 MSc in Biology, University of Zurich and BA in Business Administration, University of Zurich and Berne
2012-2013 Civil service
2009-2012 BSc in Environmental engineering, Zurich University of Applied Science