appointments

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New RA in town!

Some of you might have noticed a new face along the corridors of S2 nowadays. Tall, handsome, sometimes bearded and sometimes not, this latest addition to the DBS community can commonly be found along the first floor of our block. Hailing all the way from South America, Brazil, Diego Pitta de Araujo (pronounced Jhi-eh-go Pita dey Ah-ra-oo-jhou) is the new Research Assistant in the Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology Lab. He has recently completed his Msc from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, working on jumping spiders, and is now at our sunny island to embark on a project of a more interdiscplinary nature – Nanostructures of UV colour in arthropods.

Besides spiders, Diego is also keen on other arachnids, as well as animal behaviour, ecology and systematics. His interests branch into epistemology (the philosophy of science), aesthetics (the philosphy of art), and even the fine arts (drawing, painting, sculpting, etc). Most importantly, if you’re ever looking for a fervent discussion on evolution, just get him inebriated. 😛

So do say hi to Diego if you see him along the corridors, and feel free to introduce him to any local hangouts/foods/slang/whatever else you can think of. As Diego says: Eu amo Cingapura! (I love Singapore!), so do make your acquaintance when you see him!

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Navjot Sodhi awarded the Hrdy Visiting Fellowship in Conservation Biology

The Hrdy Visiting Fellowship in Conservation Biology for the 2008-09 academic year has been awarded to Professor Navjot Sodhi of the National University of Singapore.

Navjot Sodhi - Hrdy Visiting Fellowship

About the award – The Sarah and Daniel Hrdy Fellowsip in Conservation Biology serves to support the study of conservation biology within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. The fellowship is awarded to an individual who will engage in scientific study and work in the Department of Organismic and Evolutonary Biology. The fellowship commences with an annual lecture in conservation biology by the distinguished individual chosen for the fellowship from outside Harvard University. It is the hope of the benefactors that this fellowship will have a strong and transformative effect on the study of conservation biology at Harvard, from the undergraduate to the senior teaching level.

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Li Daiqin appointed to the Editorial Board of the Australian Journal of Zoology

The department’s spiderman, Li Daiqin. was just appointed as Editorial Board member for the Australian Journal of Zoology.

The international journal “publishes papers and critical reviews that demonstrate a conceptual advance to any aspect of zoology. The focus is on the Australasian fauna, however, high quality papers from any region that have practical or theoretical relevance to any general zoological issue will be considered. Subject areas include anatomy, physiology, molecular biology, genetics, reproductive biology, developmental biology, parasitology, morphology, behaviour, ecology, zoogeography, systematics and evolution”

Congratulations, Daiqin!