English language proficiency: C1

Area of research: Biodiversity, systematics and ecology of lichens

Supervisor’s research interests:

• Biodiversity, systematics and ecology of lichens
• Phylogeny of the lichen family Megasporaceae, species diversity, ecology and evolution of the family in the Holocene
• Biodiversity of lichens of the Eurasian region with the special attention to the saxicolous lichens of the Urals, Altai and the Far East
• Secondary metabolites of lichens and their role in the interaction with the saxicolous substrate.

The supervisor is an active participant of the project ‘Megasporaceae Worldwide’ which unites efforts of colleagues from Finland, France, Germany, Iran, Japan, Korea, Russia, Sweden, the USA with the aim to reveal the diversity and evolution of Megasporaceae – the one of the most intricate taxon of lichenized ascomycetes.

Supervisor’s specific requirements to prospective PhD students:

• Field of study: 06.06.01 Biological sciences
• Fieldwork experience, sociability
• Elementary knowledge of molecular methods.