Department
Biology
Emailelie.verleyen@ugent.be
Phone+32-9-2649629
AddressKrijgslaan 281 S8
Gent BelgiumBioElie Verleyen obtained his PhD in 2004 and started a tenure-track position as a lecturer in Global Change Biology in the laboratory of Protistology and Aquatic Ecology (Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University) in October 2015. He has developed expertise in the Late Quaternary ecology and evolution of polar and cold-temperate aquatic ecosystems and in microbial biogeography and macroecology. He has played a significant role in the development of a network of reconstructions of Late Quaternary climate and relative sea level changes in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands. In parallel to the development of this historical context, he studies microbial biogeography in polar environments using culture-based approaches, phylogeographic analyses, as well as community level studies using a combination of traditional and next generation sequencing techniques. Since 3 years, he has started to initiate complementary work in the Arctic region, which will allow to obtain a thorough understanding of the natural background level of range size dynamics in polar microorganisms, and how this relates to the current rate of species introductions, regional extinction and invasions. He is currently the coordinator of the EU BiodivERsA project CLIMARCTIC, which is aimed at assessing the effect of climate change on the diversity and functioning of soils and lakes in Svalbard. He has field work experience in Antarctica, Southern South America, the Sub-Antarctic islands and the High Arctic, and has a long-standing commitment in the communication of scientific research towards the general public and children.