News archive


New postdoc position opened! 26 July 2022

A postdoc position on eco-evolutionary dynamics is available in our team. Feel free to get in touch if you want to know more.


Our new paper out in Global Change Biology! 3 May 2022

In the paper we show that community context, especially in the form of alternative host species, prevents key interactions in nature from deteriorating due to climate change.


New PhD positions available! 22 March 2022

Join our team on ERC-CZ grant! Check the advert for two PhD positions and feel free to get in touch if you want to know more.


Mélanie's paper is out in Proceedings B 16 March 2022

Mélanie's paper addresses multiple predator effect under warming, emphasizing the importance of combined impact of biotic and abiotic factors on species interactions.


We joined the DrosEU consortium 11 March 2022

We are looking forward to collaborating on Drosophila melanogaster population genomics across the EU and beyond.


Miguel wins run-up price in Famelab Czech final! 14 October 2021

Watch Miguel explain that "Aliens are not that far" - check from 1:00:25.


Mélanie succesfully defended her PhD! 16 September 2021

Yes, third PhD student finished in close succession! Mélanie tirelessly focused on the PhD and managed to have all chapters submitted to a journal before defense - that's quite an achievement! Huge Congratulations and fingers crossed for fellowships!
  


Martin succesfully defended his PhD! 7 July 2021

Martin did a great job with revealing large scale patterns of caterpillar parasitoid diversity. Best wishes Martin for a postdoc!



Joel succesfully defended his PhD! 18 June 2021

...and is leaving to join Courtney Murdock's lab at Cornell. Thanks Joel for the great four years and the very best wishes for the future!
  


Parasitoid identification database published 19 May 2021

We are proud of a collective effort organized by our lab to allow reliable identification of parasitoids of Drosophila for fundamental and applied science.


Visiting postdoc 15 September 2020

Wenda Cheng from the University of Hong Kong is currently working with us on how temperature affects on host-parasitoid interactions. He's interested in habitat and climate changes effects on herbivore-parasitoid interactions, and how behaviour and phenotypical plasticity would help species escape those impacts.


Visiting PhD student 15 September 2020

Minoo Heidari Latibari from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran is characterizing symbiotic bacteria of Aphis craccivora and Therioaphis trifolii on alfalfa in Mashhad and Zabol regions.


ERC-CZ grant awarded and new positions opened! 27 April 2020

We have received a major five-year grant to uncover how maintenance of genetic variation and species diversity are connected! We are therefore opening a new PhD position and Postdoc position. Check the links for full adverts and feel free to get in touch if you want to know more.
There is also a technician post open [in Czech].


Another PhD position open! 5 December 2019

See PhD position for full advert and feel free to get in touch if you want to know more.


CSF grant awarded 26 November 2019

Our three year Czech Science Foundation grant on "Testing the link between the structure and resilience of ecological networks" was funded, starting in January 2020!


PhD review paper 25 November 2019

Congratulations to Joel for publishing his PhD review paper!


New PhD positions open 30 September 2019

See PhD position for full advert and feel free to get in touch if you want to know more.
There is also a technician post open [in Czech].


First PhD paper 21 May 2019

Congratulations to Mélanie for publishing her first PhD paper!


Student research grant 13 February 2019

Congratulations to Mélanie for getting a student research grant from the university worth 5000 EUR!


Evolution in Montpellier! 16 August 2018

Whole lab goes to Montpellier for Evolution conference.


Jan presents at Uppsala conference 13 September 2017

First preliminary results on Drosophila-parasitoid food webs from Australia presented at great food web conference.


Nick and Chia-hua join the lab! 3 September 2017

Nick and Chia-hua have arrived to start their postdocs. Welcome!


Jan gets Wichterle award 7 June 2017

Jan received Wichterle award for young promissing scientists in Czech Academy of Sciences.


Mélanie and Anna join the lab! 15 March 2017

Mélanie is starting her PhD and Anicka her quest to become one of the best Drosophila parasitoid breeders in the world! See what they have to say about this in our team section.


New Postdoc and PhD positions open! 6 December 2016

Click Postdoc or PhD position for full adverts and feel free to get in touch if you want to know more.
There is also a technician post open [in Czech].


Junior CSF grant awarded 25 November 2016
Our three year Junior Czech Science Foundation grant "Impact of temperature on host-parasitoid food webs: role of immunity and symbiotic bacteria" was funded, starting in January 2017!


Jan gets Purkynì Fellowship 2 November 2016
Jan has received a competitive five year Purkynì Fellowship for scientists returning to Czech Academy of Sciences.


Joel joins the lab 11 October 2016
New PhD student Joel Brown joins the lab in a busy week with Owen Lewis visiting. Welcome, Joel!


Protective symbiosis: does it work in nature? 5 October 2016
Jan presents departmental seminar at Department of Zoology, University od South Bohemia.


Symbionts protect in the field 25 August 2016
Protective effects of microbial symbionts are known from laboratory studies, but have not been tested in natural context. We show that protective symbiosis does work in nature and can affect food web structure and dynamics.


PhD position available! 12 July 2016
A four year PhD studentship is available in our lab to study how abiotic and biotic factors structure host-parasitoid food webs. Pdf with full information is here, email Jan [janhrcek@gmail.com] if in doubt whether to apply.


Fieldwork in Papua New Guinea 23 June 2016
Martin reports back from a remote rainforest camp in Papua New Guinea.
Check-out his instagram for some cool pictures from the field.


Symbionts in food webs 13 April 2016
A review on insect symbionts in food webs co-authored by Jan was accepted at Philosophical Transactions B and will be published at the beginning of August.


Seminar in Edinburgh 9 March 2016
Jan presented a departmental seminar at Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh. Great to catch-up with Graham Stone, his lab and others from the department.


NERC grant funded 22 January 2016
Our NERC grant "Ecological and evolutionary effects of climate change on rainforest food webs" with Owen Lewis and Jon Bridle as PIs got funded! Chris Jeffs will be the lead postdoc on the community ecology part.