Miguel Vences

Evolutionary Biologist, Herpetologist, Photographer

Curriculum Vitae

Prof. Dr. Miguel Vences

Institutional address: Division of Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute,
Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 4, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany;
phone: +49 531 391-3237

email: m.vences@tu-bs.de

Birthdate: 24.04.1969, Köln (Cologne), Germany

Education and career

1979–1988 Schiller-Gymnasium, Weyertal, Köln (1988 Abitur)
1989–1993 Universität zu Köln (1992 Vordiplom)
1993–1996 Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (1996 Diplom)
1997–2000 Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (2000 Dr. rer nat.)
2000–2001 Postdoc, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
2001–2002 Postdoc, Institute of Biology, University of Konstanz, Germany
2002–2005 Assistant Professor and Head of the Vertebrate Section, Zoological
Museum, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics,
University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2005– Professor for Zoology and Evolutionary Biology,
Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany

Diplom thesis: "Untersuchungen zur Phylogenie der Anurengattung Mantella, unter Integration morphologischer und biochemischer Merkmale" (supervisor: Wolfgang Böhme, Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn).

Doctoral thesis: "Phylogenetic studies on ranoid frogs (Amphibia: Anura) with a discussion of the origin and evolution of the vertebrate clades of Madagascar" (supervisor: Wolfgang Böhme).

Awards, grants and fellowships

1990 SEH grant in herpetology of the Societas Herpetologica Europaea
1997 Alfred A. Schmidt Award of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde DGHT (with K. Schmidt and F. Glaw)
1997-1999 Postgraduate fellowship of the "Graduiertenförderung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen".
1998 Fieldwork in southern Africa (RSA, Namibia, Swaziland), supported by the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
1999 Fieldwork in India and Sri Lanka, supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
2000-2001 Postdoc fellowship of the DAAD (Madagascar and Paris)
2001 Research grant of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde
2001-2002 Postdoc Fellowship (Forschungsstipendium) of the DFG (University of Konstanz)
2003-2005 Research grant of the Volkswagen Foundation (with F. Glaw)
2003 Research project grant of the Instituto de Estudios Altoaragoneses, Huesca, Spain
2003 Travel grant of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO-WOTRO)
2004 Research grant of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO-WOTRO) - PhD fellowship for F. Rabemananjara
2006 Research grant of the DFG (Evolution of tadpole diversity in Madagascar; includes 2 PhD fellowships)
2007 Research grant of the Volkswagen Foundation (with O. Ramilijaona, N. Raminosoa, L du Preez, F. Glaw); includes 3 PhD fellowships for Malagasy students)
2009 Research grant of the DFG (Phylogeny of chameleons)
2009 Research grant of the Volkswagen Foundation, Species diversification in Madagascar (includes PhD fellowship for S. Gehring)
2010 Research grant of the DFG (Tropical frog phylogeography)
2014 Research grant of the DFG (Amphibian skin microbiota)
2015 Research grant of the DFG (Evolution of lacertid lizards, co-PI with J. Müller, Berlin)
2013–2015 Guest professor, Institute for amphibian Biology, University of Hiroshima, Japan
2015–2017 Visiting Researcher, Unversidade Estadual Paulista UNESP, Rio Claro, Brazil
2017 Research grant of the DFG (Species delimitation in amphibians, co-PI with M. Hofreiter, Potsdam)
2017– Steering committee member in DFG priority program "TaxonOmics"

Memberships and functions in professional associations and journals

1988– Member: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde DGHT
1988– Member: Societas Europaea Herpetologica SEH
1996–2021 Member: American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists ASIH
1996–2010 Member: International Society for the Study and Conservation of Amphibians ISSCA
2005– Member: Gesellschaft für Biologische Systematik GfBS
2005– Member: Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft DZG
2008–2021 Member: Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles SSAR
2010–2015 Member: Herpetological Association of Africa
1996–2012 Member: International Society for the Study and Conservation of Amphibians ISSCA
2001–2010 Editorial board member: "Alytes"
2003–2006 Scientific editor: "Elaphe"
2003– Editorial board member: "Bonner Zoologische Beitäge"
2003–2011 Vice President, Societas Europaea Herpetologica
2003–2010 Board member of the International Society for the Study and Conservation of Amphibians ISSCA
2005–2012 Executive committee member, World Congress of Herpetology
2006– Section editor (amphibians), Zootaxa
2008–2016 Editor, Herpetology Notes
2009– 2015 Associate Editor, BMC Evolutionary Biology
2013– Member: Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Science and Humanities (BBAW)
2017– Member: German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

Service as a reviewer: Scientific papers

Alytes; American Naturalist; Amphibia-Reptilia; Animal Biology; Animal Conservation; African Zoology; Beaufortia; Behavioral Ecology; Biologia (Section Zoology); Biological Conservation; Biological Journal of the Linnean Society; Biology Letters; Bollettino del Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali di Torino; Bonner zoologische Beiträge; Carribbean Journal of Science; Cladistics; Comptes Rendus Biologies; Conservation Genetics; Contributions to Zoology; Current Biology; Elaphe; FEMS Microbiology Ecology; Fieldiana Zoology; Gene; Genome; Heredity; Herpetologia Bonnensis (Proceedings of the 8th Ordinary General Meeting of the Societas Europaea Herpetologica); Herpetological Journal; Herpetological Review; Herpetological Natural History; Hydrobiologia; Journal of Biogeography; Journal of Herpetology; Journal of Natural History; Journal of Molecular Evolution; Journal of Tropical Ecology; Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research; Journal of Zoology; Madagascar Conservation and Development; Malagasy Nature; Microbial Ecology; Mitochondrial DNA; Molecular Biology and Evolution; Molecular Ecology; Molecular Ecology Resources; Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution; Nature Communications; PLoS Biology; PLOS One; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA; Proceedings of the Royal Society B; Revista Española de Herpetología; Salamandra; South African Journal of Science; Spixiana; Systematic Biology; Trends in Genetics; Trends in Ecology and Evolution; Zeitschrift für Feldherpetologie; Zoological Science; Zoologica Scripta; Zootaxa.

Service as a reviewer: Research projects, grants and species' conservation status

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; European Research Council; Global Amphibian Assessment; Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Österreich; Humboldt Foundation; National Geographic Exploration Committee; IUCN Species Survival Commission; National Research Foundation (South Africa); National Science Foundation (USA).

Contributions to symposia and congresses

(P Poster)
1989 (Congreso de la Sociedad Herpetologica Española, Madrid); 1991 (Jahrestagung der DGHT, Bonn); 1995 (Jahrestagung der AG "Herpetofauna 2000 NRW", Düsseldorf); 1995 (Meeting of the Societas Europaea Herpetologica, Bonn, P); 1997 (Verbreitung, Ökologie und Schutz der Wechselkröte, Hannover); 1997 (Arbeitstagung der DGHT-AG Anuren, Nürnberg); 1997 (Third World Congress of Herpetology, Prague, P); 1998 (Meeting of the Societas Herpetologica Europaea, Chambery); 1998 (Arbeitstagung der DGHT-AG Anuren, Grevenbroich); 1999 (Vertebrates in the Tropics, Bonn, P); 1999 (Meeting of the Societas Herpetologica Europaea, Crete); 1999 (Biogéographie de Madagascar, Paris); 2001 (Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft, Osnabrück); 2002 (Italian Congress of Herpetology, Ercolano); 2004 (African Biodiversity, Bonn); 2005 (First International Conference for the Barcoding of Life); 2005 (Fifth World Congress of Herpetology, Stellenbosch); 2005 (Meeting of the Gesellschaft für Biologische Systematic, Basel); 2005 (Meeting of the Societas Europaea Herpetologica, Bonn); 2006 (ACSAM amphibian conservation workshop, Antananarivo); 2006 (TEAM amphibian monitoring workshop, Washington); 2006 (Herpetological Association of Africa Congress, Potchefstroom); 2007 (14th Congress of the Societas Europaea Herpetologica, Porto); 2008 (Conservation International Madagascar turtle conservation workshop, Antananarivo); 2008 (World Congress of Herpetology, Manaus); 2008 (Amphibanat workshop, Missouri); 2008 (Latin American Congress of Herpetology, Cuba); 2009 (Tropical Vertebrates in a Changing World symposium, Bonn); 2010 (XI Congreso Luso – Español de Herpetología / XV Congreso Español de Herpetología, Sevilla); 2011 (16th European Congress of Herpetology, Luxembourg); 2011 (Society for Tropical Ecology - gtö conference, Frankfurt); 2011 (IX Congreso Latinoamericano de Herpetologia, Curitiba, Brasil); 2012 (7th World Congress of Herpetology, Vancouver); 2013 (VI Congresso Brasileiro de Herpetologia, Salvador); 2014 (Australian Society of Herpetologists meeting, Canberra); 2014 (International Symposium "Frontiers in Amphibian Biology", Hiroshima, Japan); 2015 (Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles SSAR, Kansas University, Lawrence); 2017 (19th European Congress of Herpetology, Salzburg, Austria); 2017 (XVIII Congreso Argentino de Herpetología, Salta); 2018 (II Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology, Montpellier); 2019 (International Biogeography Society Humboldt Meeting, Quito, Ecuador).

PhD theses directed as main supervisor (year of PhD completion)

Katharina C. Wollenberg (2008), Falitiana Rabemananjara (2008), Olga Jovanovic (2009), Axel Strauß (2010), Parfait Bora (2011), Roger-Daniel Randrianiaina (2011), Ismail Bshaena (2011), Salem Busais (2011), Philip-Sebastian Gehring (2012), Fanomezana M. Ratsoavina (2013), Marcelo Gehara (2013), Molly C. Bletz (2017), Andolalao Rakotoarison (2017), Bina Perl (2018), Joana Sabino-Pinto (2018), Eugenia Sanchez (2018), Mark D. Scherz (2019).