Olaf Bininda-Emonds
Contact
Olaf Bininda-Emonds
Olaf R.P. Bininda-Emonds
Education
| 01/1995 – 10/1998 | D.Phil. (Zoology); University of Oxford (Supervisor: Professor Paul H. Harvey, FRS) |
| Research area: systematic methodology and the evolutionary biology of carnivores (Mammalia: Carnivora) | |
| 01/1992 – 01/1995 | M.Sc. (Zoology); University of Calgary (Supervisor: Dr. Anthony P. Russell) |
| Research area: phylogenetic relationships of the extant phocid seals (Mammalia: Carnivora: Phocidae) | |
| 09/1986 – 04/1990 | B.Sc. with First Class Honours (Zoology); University of Calgary |
| 09/1984 – 06/1986 | Advanced High School Diploma (Senior Matriculation) with Excellence at Queen Elizabeth Junior/Senior High School, Calgary, Canada |
Research Experience
| 03/2008 to present | W2-Professor for Molecular Systematics; Carl von Ossietzky-Universität, Oldenburg |
| Head of Systematics and Evolutionary Biology research group investigating diverse aspects of evolution, systematics, and ecology; specific topics include applied aspects of chemical ecology in anuran amphibians; population genetics, evolutionary biology, ecology, systematics and morphological evolution of Rotifera and Gastrotricha; and additional research into phylogenetic methodology, including supertree construction and phylogenomics. | |
| 07/2006 – 02/2008 | Heisenberg scholar of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena |
| Head of Heisenberg research group investigating the evolution of chemical communication, principally in carnivore mammals (Carnivora), and also applied aspects of chemical ecology in anuran amphibians and wasps; additional research into phylogenetic methodology, including supertree construction and phylogenomics. | |
| 03/2002 – 06/2006 | Postdoctoral research fellow with Prof. Dr. Ruedi Fries; Technische Universität München |
| Head of the bioinformatics research group within the Lehrstuhl für Tierzucht, as part of the BMBF funded BFAM project (Bioinformatics for the Analysis of Mammalian Genomes); research into genetic basis for BSE in cattle and energy metabolism in pigs; additional research into phylogenetic methodology, including supertree construction and the utility of embryological heterochrony data as a source of phylogenetic information. | |
| 09/2000 – 03/2002 | Postdoctoral research fellow with Dr. Michael K. Richardson; Leiden University |
| Research into phylogenetic methodology, including supertree construction and the utility of embryological heterochrony data as a source of phylogenetic information; integration of conservation biology and phylogeny; investigating aquatic adaptation in mammalian carnivores. | |
| 01/1999 – 08/2000 | Postdoctoral research fellow with Dr. Michael J. Sanderson; University of California, Davis |
| Research into phylogenetic methodology, including supertree construction, and possible limits on constructing large phylogenies; integration of conservation biology and phylogeny; investigating aquatic adaptation in mammalian carnivores. |
Computer Experience
- MacOS X, including MS Office, EndNote, MacDraw Pro, Adobe CreativeSuite / Cloud, and numerous phylogenetic inference software
- familiarity with Windows OS
- programming skills in Perl, including CGI programming
- have published over 30 open-source Perl programs that are freely available on the group website
- database design and devlopment in MySQL
Selected grants and award
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) large equipment grant with Prof. Dr. Dirk Albach and Prof. Dr. Gabriele Gerlach (Uni-Oldenburg; co-PIs) “GS Junior next-generation sequencer” 2011. (248 202 €)
- DFG grant with Dr. Wilko Ahlrichs (Uni-Oldenburg; co-PI) “Molecular phylogenetics and evolutionary biology of Rotifera” 2010. (ca. 147 500 € over three years)
- DFG grant with Dr. Wilko Ahlrichs (Uni-Oldenburg; co-PI) “Empirical investigation of the factors determining the cost of sexual reproduction in Rotifera” 2009. (ca. 130 500 € over three years)
- EWE-Stiftung grant “Molekulare Untersuchung zum Status der heimischen Miesmuschel-Gemeinschaften (Mytilus edulis) im Niedersächsischen Wattenmeer und Feststellung ihrer Bedrohung durch invasive Arten” 2009. (8334 €)
- VolkswagenStiftung grant with Enrico König (Uni-Oldenburg; co-PI) “Evolutionary characterization of antimicrobial peptides in the skin secretions of anuran amphibians” 2008. (135 500 € over three years)
- DFG Heisenberg Professorship “Evolution of scent compounds and chemical communication in Carnivora” 2007. (Tenable over a three-year period; declined)
- Berufsgenossenschaft Nahrungsmittel und Gaststätten (BGN) grant with Martin Fischer (Uni. Jena; co-PI) “Biochemische Abwehr von Wespen in Bäckereien” 2005. (45 000 €)
- DFG Heisenberg Scholarship and associated operating grant “Evolution of scent compounds and chemical communication in Carnivora,” 2005. (ca. 325 000 € over five years)
- DFG operating grant with Hans-Rudolf Fries (PI), Felix Habermann (co-PI), and Georg Thaller (co-PI) “QTL- und Kandidatengenanalyse des Energie- und Lipidstoffwechsels beim Schwein‚” 2003. (200 468 € over three years)
- National Science Foundation (NSF) operating grant with Michael J. Sanderson “Algorithms and software for phylogenetic supertrees,” 2000. (US $160 000 over two years)
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Post-doctoral fellowship, 1999. (Cdn $35 000 per year for two years)
- Sir James Lougheed Award of Distinction (Government of Alberta), 1996, 1997. (Cdn $15 000)
- Governor General's Gold Medal for graduating Master's students (University of Calgary), 1995
- NSERC Post-graduate Scholarship B, 1995. (Cdn $17 400 per year for two years)
- NSERC Post-graduate Scholarship A, 1992. (Cdn $15 600 per year for two years)
Miscellaneous
- Memberships:
- Working groups:
- Member of the IUCN Canid Specialist Group (2013 – 2016)
- Member of the “Vertebrate visual evolution” working group established by Drs. Margaret I. Hall, Christopher Heesy, and Andrew N. Iwaniuk and funded through the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) in Durham, North Carolina (2009 – 2013)
- Nominated as a Visiting Fellow of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (Cambridge, UK) for the Phylogenetics Programme (Sept. 3 – Dec. 21, 2007)
- “Phylogeny and Conservation” working group established by Drs. John L. Gittleman and Michael M. McKinney and funded through the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) in Santa Barbara, California
- Working groups:
- Societies:
- Society for Systematic Biologists (1992 – present)
- Willi Hennig Society (1992 – present)
- Bay Area Biosystematists (1999 – 2002)
- Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft (2001 – present)
- Gesellschaft für Biologische Systematik (2002 – present)
- Councils:
- Society for Systematic Biology (Council, 2010–2012; Nominations subcommittee, 2007–2008)
- Gesellschaft für Biologische Systematik (Beisitzer Zoology, 2005 – 2009; Editor-in-Chief of Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 2009 – 2011)
- Member of the BioMedNet Research Update service (2001 – 2002)
- Reviewer for the following:
- Award panels
- Villum Kann Rasmussen Award 2013 (Denmark)
- Books
- “Carnivoran Evolution: New Views on Phylogeny, Form, Function” (Cambridge University Press)
- “Mammals of Africa” (Academic Press)
- “Phylogeny and Conservation” (Cambridge Univ. Press).
- “Reconstructing the Tree of Life” (CRC Press for the Systematic Association)
- “Social behaviour” (Cambridge University Press)
- “Spezielle Zoologie 2” (Spektrum Akademischer Verlag)
- Granting agencies
- Genes and Developmental Panel (BBSRC)
- Leaders Opportunity Fund: Research infrastructure (Canadian Foundation for Innovation)
- Danish Council for Independent Research | Natural Sciences
- Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD)
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
- European Research Council (ERC)
- Consortium Grant Application Panel (NERC)
- Discovery Grants (NSERC)
- “Assembling the Tree of Life” program (NSF)
- Physical Sciences Panel (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, NWO)
- Wissenschaft – Öffentlichkeit – Gesellschaft (VW Stiftung)
- Journals
- Advances in Bioinformatics, The American Naturalist, Animal Conservation, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Bioinformatics, Biologia, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, Biological Reviews, Bonner zoologische Beiträge, BMC Developmental Biology, BMC Evolutionary Biology, Bulletin for Mathematical Biology, Canadian Journal of Zoology, Cladistics, Ecography, Ecology Letters, Endangered Species Research, Evolution, Evolution and Development, Evolutionary Bioinformatics Online, Fifth Georgia Tech Conference on Bioinformatics, Frontiers in Zoology, IEEE/ACM Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Journal of Animal Ecology, Journal of Experimental Zoology: Molecular Development and Evolution, Journal of the Geological Society, Journal of Heredity, Journal of Molecular Evolution, Journal of Systematic Paleontology, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, Journal of Zoology, Mammal Review, Marine Mammal Science, Molecular Biology and Evolution, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Nature, Naturwissenschaften, Organisms Diversity & Evolution, Paleobiology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, Science, Systematic Biology, Systematic Botany, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, Trends in Plant Science, WABI 2009, Zoologischer Anzeiger, Zoological Science, and Zoological Studies
- Award panels
- Editorial experience:
- Journals:
- Editor-in-Chief:
- Organisms Diversity & Evolution (2009 – 2011)
- Associate Editor:
- Systematic Biology (2004 – 2009)
- Editorial board:
- Bioinformatics and Biology Insights (2007 – present)
- Organisms Diversity & Evolution (2004 – 2009)
- Russian Journal of Theriology (2001 – present)
- Systematic Biology (2002 – 2004)
- Editor-in-Chief:
- Books:
- “Beyond Geckos: a Festschrift Celebrating the Career of Anthony P. Russell” (with A.M. Bauer, H.A. Jamniczky, L. Powell, and J. Theodor) BIS Verlag, Oldenburg, Germany. (Expected date of publication: December 2013)
- “Phylogenetic Supertrees: Combining Information to Reveal the Tree of Life” Computational Biology, volume 4 (Dress, A., series ed.). Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, the Netherlands. (Date of publication: August 2004)
- Conferences:
- Co-organizer (with Prof. Dr. Dirk Albach) of the 55th Phylogenetic Symposium “The time for phylogenetics: inferring and applying timetrees in evolutionary biology” (Oldenburg, Germany; November 22–24, 2013)
- Organizer of a symposium on supertree construction for the Society of Systematic Biologists’ 2003 annual meeting (Chico, CA; June 21–24, 2003)
- Other:
- Freelance copyeditor for Trends in Ecology and Evolution and Lehrstuhl für Pflanzenernährung, Technische Universität München
- Journals:
- Fluent in English; advanced German
- Random statistics
- Erdos number of 3
- H-index of 40