Grant recipients
Meet the grant recipients of our Fieldwork and Expedition grant program 2023.
Our program was specially tailored to support early career scientist on their journey to conduct their own field work on bats. Our primary goal is to empower and equip researchers with the essential resources to conduct their fieldwork.
In addition, our awardees play a crucial role in collecting our high quality bat samples for genome sequencing. They will collect a carefully selected list of species for us and receive authorship on the genome sequence publication (genome note).
Alexa Sadier - Dominican Republic, Feb. 2024
Alexa Sadier from UCLA, who recently moved back to France and started her own group in the Macro-Evolution and Development team at ISE-M/CNRS. Alexa is an evolutionary developmental biologist. Her research aims to answer broad evolutionary questions related to the evolution of animal forms to understand how species adapt to various environments. She mainly uses the diversity of bats to study the evolution of dentition, dietary and sensory systems but also mammals in general. More photos will go online soon!
Learn more about Alexa here
Ortega & MacSwiney - Mexico, September 2023
Jorge Ortega and Cristina MacSwiney, from Asociación Mexicana de Mastozoología. Their project focused on echolocation and morphometrics.
Elise Sivault - Papua New Guinea, April 2024
Elise Sivault from Czech Academy of Sciences
Read Elise's intro:
"I am an enthusiastic tropical ecologist dedicated to unravelling the mysteries of bat diversity and their trophic interactions across environmental gradients. Currently, I am in the final stages of my PhD program at the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic. Throughout my academic journey, I have delved deeply into the study of trophic cascades, examining the interconnected relationships between insectivorous predators, insects, and plants.
My extensive research experience has led me to explore diverse tropical forests, most notably in the captivating landscapes of Papua New Guinea, where I have meticulously surveyed and studied bat populations. One exciting aspect of my latest research involves using metabarcoding techniques to identify bat-feeding patterns and explore potential connections to their microbiomes for conservation perspectives.
Among the bat species I have encountered and studied, one holds a special place in my heart – Paranyctimene raptor. With its endearing "smiley face" and the captivating "yellow-green" hues adorning its wings, this species is truly unique."
Francisco Castellanos - Ecuador, May 2024
Francisco Castellanos, Texas Tech University.
Read Franciscos intro:
"As a dedicated biologist from Ecuador, my research journey has evolved from a master’s to a PhD student role at the Ray Lab. During my master's projects, I investigated the innate immune response of bats, unraveling the evolution of antimicrobial peptides and I also laid the foundation for characterizing specific transposable elements for reconstructing homoplasy-free phylogenies in Chiroptera. In my current PhD endeavors, I am optimizing this pipeline, aiming to extend its applicability to other taxa. While my primary focus remains on taxonomy, I also explore other adaptive traits that make bats unique, with a special emphasis on metabolism."