Sophie Gombeer

History

Member for

3 years 52 weeks

Professional information

Own research projects

• Ecology, distribution and species diversity of caddisflies (Trichoptera) in Flanders
• DNA barcoding and the phylogeny of Flemish Trichoptera
• Development of a biodiversity-chip for the biomonitoring of benthic macroinvertebrate communities

Position in the lab

PhD student

Curriculum Vitae

I studied Biology at the University of Hasselt (1998-2000), and Zoology (2000-2002) and Environmental Sanitation & Management (2002-2003) at Ghent University. I completed two thesisses; a first one entitled ‘The seasonal variation of the intertidal macrofauna of artificial substrates along the Flemish coast’ (2002) and a second one on ‘The morphological effects of heavy metals on Turbellaria’ (2003).

Between October 2005 and October 2007 I worked in Eastern Africa with the Society for Environmental Exploration during a period of 18 months. I started my African adventure as a volunteer research assistant, but gradually climbed up to the positions of expedition leader and principal investigator. During this period I participated in several baseline biodiversity surveys, e.g. the BREAM project (Biodiversity Research and Awareness in the Lesser Known Eastern Arc Mountains) funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).

After returning from Africa I knew I wanted to be a scientific researcher and applied for a PhD position at the EB&T lab of the University of Antwerp. In February 2008 I started my PhD project entitled ‘Development of a biodiversity-chip for the biomonitoring of benthic macroinvertebrate communities’, which combines my interests for ecology and environmental science. My research investigates the distribution of Trichoptera in Flanders and the potential use of micro-array technology for the identification of Trichoptera to the species level.

Selected publications

Gombeer S.C., Knapen D. & Bervoets L. 2011. The influence of different spatial-scale variables on caddisfly assemblages in Flemish lowland streams. Ecological Entomology, 36(3), 355-368. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2311.2011.01280.x

Selected presentations

Gombeer S.C., Knapen D. & Bervoets L. 2009. Trichoptera in Flanders: An Ecological and Phylogenetic
Characterisation of the Taxon. 13th International Symposium on Trichoptera, Bialowieza National Park, Poland. Platform presentation.

Gombeer S.C., Knapen D. & Bervoets L. 2010. The relationship among Trichoptera species assemblages, biological traits and ecological requirements: a focus on lowland freshwater habitats in Flanders. 9th European Congress on Entomology, Budapest, Hungary. Platform presentation.