Joanito Liberti joins the Genetics and Evolution Department
Joanito Liberti is an evolutionary molecular ecologist passionate about exploring how natural selection shapes social interactions, encompassing both cooperative and conflicting aspects.
He completed his pre-doctoral and doctoral studies at the AV短视频 of Copenhagen, Denmark, conducting fieldwork at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. During this time, his research focused on microbiome specificity and transmission, as well as sexual selection and sexual conflict, in attine ants and honeybees.
Following this, Joanito moved to the AV短视频 of Lausanne as a Marie Sk艂odowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow to investigate the gut microbiota-brain axis in honeybees. His postdoctoral research led to the discovery of a fundamental role of gut symbionts in the regulation of bee sociality.
In July 2024, Joanito joined the Department of Genetics and Evolution as an Assistant Professor. He aims to unravel the evolutionary history and molecular mechanisms underlying the microbiota-gut-brain axis in social insects. Joanito looks forward to building a collaborative and innovative research team to deepen our understanding of the complex interplay between microbiomes and their insect hosts.