Projects
Developmental mechanisms of diversification of visual areas in the mouse cerebral neocortex KU Leuven
The higher-order (HO) cortex substantiates higher-order brain functions and is evolutionarily elaborated in humans, with expanded territory and subdivisions (areas) that are devoted to distinct neural computations and functions. However little is known about how HO cortical areas emerge during cortical development. Recent studies in neonatal mice suggested parallel HO thalamocortical pathways from the lateral posterior nucleus (LP) drive the ...
Refining the scope of application of EU fundamental rights in light of the diversification of EU law sources KU Leuven
The European Union protects fundamental rights through a variety of sources, including the Charter of fundamental rights and the general principles of Union law enshrined by the Court of Justice. However, unlike other national or international legal systems, EU fundamental rights do not bind the Member States in all situations. A link to EU law must be demonstrated in order to be able to invoke these rights before the Court of Justice of the ...
Identification of metabolic states that stimulate the diversification of interneurons and the assembly of cortical circuits. KU Leuven
Brains are composed of a multitude of neuronal cell types that
assemble together into specific functional circuits. Elucidating how a
small number of neural progenitors generates the vast diversity of
neuronal cell types in the brain remains a major goal in
neuroscience, since the different types of neuron — and their specific
connectivity — are the basis for information processing. This problem
is very ...
Reproductive barriers, interspecific gene flow and diversification in a globally distributed pennate diatom Ghent University
The formation of new species is the fundamental process responsible for the diversity of life on Earth. Understanding this process requires insight into how genetically based barriers to gene flow (i.e. reproductive isolation) evolve between populations. In this project we aim to advance our understanding of speciation and species diversification in microalgae. We focus on diatoms, the most diverse group of algae on Earth and playing a key ...
Insights into the mechanisms that underlie the genomic diversification and global spread of a common asexual garden pest Ghent University
Sex is the dominant form of reproduction among animals and continuously generates genetic
variation that allows animal populations to survive and adapt. Challenging evolutionary theory, a
high number of asexual but genetically diverse species of great ecological success have evolved from
sexual ancestors within the Arthropoda phylum. Formal testing of the different evolutionary
scenarios that potentially underlie the ...
Valued difference. Cultural diversification and social hierarchies in Rio de Janeiro KU Leuven
Based upon the experiences and views of urban dwellers in Rio de Janeiro, who arrived in the last 10 years from West Africa and Southern Europe, this project investigates how they relate to their new surroundings and become part of an urban population that is culturally diverse and socially stratified in complex and historically laden ways. I ask how they find a place in the city and how they see their own position relative to other urban ...
Patterns and processes of diversification in endemic clades of freshwater mollusks from the East African Rift Ghent University
I aim to integrate modern evolutionary theory and paleontological perspectives to better understand patterns and processes of organismal diversification, and how long-term biosphere-geosphere interactions affect species diversity. I will examine patterns and rates of evolution in a well-controlled fossil gastropod time-series from Lake Malawi. Using comparative data I will investigate how divergence in trophic and reproductive morphological ...