Britta Meyer

Address
Universität Basel,
Zoologisches Institut
Evolutionsbiologie
Vesalgasse 1
CH-4051 Basel
Switzerland

Office
E0.04

Phone
+41 (0)61 207 03 04

Fax
+41 (0)61 207 03 01

Email
britta.meyer-at-unibas.ch

Britta Meyer

PhD student in the group of Walter Salzburger. Works on genetic diversity, coalescence and phylogeny of East African cichlids.

Current research

In my research project I am interested in the genetic diversity of the cichlid assemblage in East Africa. Therefore I will analyze SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) and nuclear DNA sequences in East African cichlids. This genome-wide data set will be used to draw conclusions about their population genetics, demographic history and phylogeny.

In my spare time

My big love is the water, that is why I like islands, oceans, lakes, ships, swimming, snorkeling, being at the beach, bathing in the sun and enjoying the sounds of the waves. And if there is no water, I like reading, watching birds and traveling.


Publications

Peer reviewed:

  • Meyer BS, Salzburger W (submitted) A novel primer set for multilocus phylogenetic inference in East African cichlid fishes.

Non-peer reviewed:

  • Sonntag N, Weichler T, Weiel S, Meyer B (2006) Blinder Passagier – Zweifarbfledermaus (Vespertilio murinus) landet auf einem Forschungsschiff in der Pommerschen Bucht (südliche Ostsee). Nyctalus 11 (4): 277-279.

Posters

  • Meyer B (2010) The evolutionary history of Lake Tanganyika cichlid fish assemblage - from gene genealogies and gene trees to the species tree. European Research Networking Programme Frontiers of Speciation Research (FroSpects), PhD Summer School 2010 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland.
  • Meyer B, Meyer-Lucht Y, Püttker T, Simone S (2007) Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) variation in an endemic neotropical rodent, Euryoryzomys russatus. IZW-Symposium, Berlin.

Talks

  • Meyer B (2010) Phylogenetic relationships and population structures of the Lake Tanganyika cichlid assemblage with multimarker analyses using new technology sequencing. 16th European Meeting of PhD students of Evolutionary Biology (EMPSEB), Wierzba, Poland
  • Meyer B (2010) Phylogenetic relationships and population structures of the Lake Tanganyika cichlid assemblage with multimarker analyses. Cichlid Science 2010 Meeting, Basel, Switzerland
  • Meyer B, Meyer-Lucht Y, Sommer S (2008) Genetic variability (MHC and mitochondrial D-Loop) and parasite burden of a neotropical rodent (Euryoryzomys russatus Wagner, 1848) in two fragments of the Atlantic Forest, Brazil. Bernhard-Rensch Summer School on Evolutionary Biology, University of Muenster, Germany

Teaching Experience

  • Instructor in the Workshop on Molecular Evolution in Český Krumlov, 2011 http://evomics.org/
  • Lecturing about Molecular Evolution in the “Zoology Blockkurs” for 3rd year B.Sc. biology students, University of Basel, 2011

Fieldwork and Animal Care

2011 1 month excursion to Zambia (Lake Tanganyika, cichlids)
2009 1 month excursion to Nicaragua (Lake Xiloa and Apoyo, cichlids)
2006 1 month excursion to Madagascar (Fort Dauphin area, mainly lemurs)
2004 2 months care taking of different Malacostraca and Decapoda
2004 4 months care taking and experiments with fishes from genus Poecilla
2002-2003 Several months field assistant in a radio telemetry project of Northern Goshawk
2002 1 month working at a Biological Station (Rybachy, Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Science, Russia, bird trapping and ringing)
2001-2008 Field assistant in bird surveys called „Seabirds at Sea“ on research vessels on North and Baltic Sea http://www.uni-kiel.de/ftzwest/ag4/projekte/birds/sas-e.shtml
2001 1 year voluntary ecological year (Bird observatory, Helgoland, Germany, trapping and ringing of birds and taking biometrical data, sexing, aging and determination of condition of migrating birds and mapping of breeding birds)

Further Education

  • Advanced Topic: Bioconductor, Český Krumlov, Czech Republic, 2012
  • Unix/Perl for biomedical researchers, SIB/Staromics, Fribourg, Switzerland 2011
  • Workshop on Genomics, Český Krumlov, Czech Republic, 2011
  • UNIX Basics, SIB, Lausanne, Swizterland, 2010
  • Workshop on Molecular Evolution, Český Krumlov, Czech Republic, 2010

Professional Affiliations

  • Society for Molecular Biology & Evolution (SMBE)

Curriculum Vitae

Born 1980 in Hamburg, Germany
2009-now PhD student in the Salzburger Group, University of Basel, Switzerland
2007-2008 Diploma studies at the Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) and at the Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation, University of Hamburg, Germany
2001-2007 Studies of Zoology, Biochemistry and Conservation Biology, University of Hamburg, Germany
2000-2001 Voluntary ecological year, Bird observatory, Helgoland, Germany

Grants

  • Organisator and Co-Founder of Cichlid Science 2010 Meeting 8,000 CHF
  • Travel grant for EMPSEB-Meeting, Poland
  • Travel grant for the Workshop on Evolutionary Biology, Guarda, Switzerland
  • DAAD – travel grant for an excursion to Madagascar (German academic exchange program)
  • DAAD – travel grant for an excursion to Sweden (German academic exchange program)