Research Group for Evolutionary Morphology of Vertebrates

PhD theses

Finished PhDs

  1. Stijn Devaere - “Taxonomy and evolutionary morphology of African catfishes (Clariidae): the roads to anguilliformity” – UGent (Promotor)(19/04/05). (text, figures)
  2. Tom Geerinckx - “Ontogeny and functional morphology of a highly specialized trophic apparatus: a case study of neotropical suckermouth armoured catfishes (Loricariidae, Siluriformes)” – UGent (Promotor) (08/12/06). (text, figures)
  3. Natalie De Schepper - “Evolutionary morphology of body elongation in teleosts: aspects of convergent evolution” – UGent (Promotor) (07/05/07). (text, figures)
  4. Frank Huysentruyt - “Ontogenetische studie van de kopstructuren bij Corydoras aeneus (Siluriformes, Loricarioidea), met een bijdrage tot de fylogenie van de Loricarioidea” – UGent (Promotor) (01/02/08). (text, figures)
  5. Soheil Eagderi - “Morphological phylogeny of Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes” - Teheran University, Iran-UGent (Promotor) (31/08/2010). (text, figures)
  6. Heleen Leysen - “Evolutionary morphology of the extremely specialized feeding apparatus in seahorses and pipefishes (Syngnathidae)” - UGent (promotor) (11/03/2011). (text, figures)
  7. Fatemeh Tabatabaei Yazdi - “Patterns of variation in skull phenotypes in Meriones from the Iranean region, in relation to species and environmental-geographical diversity” – UGent (promoter) (28/02/2011). (text + figures)
  8. Annelies Genbrugge – “Evolutionary morphology of the trophic apparatus in Darwin finches: a case study on adaptive evolution of complex musculoskeletal systems” – Joint PhD UA-UGent (promotor UGent) (18/05/2011). (text + figures)
  9. Paul Van Daele - “Chromosomale en morfologische evolutie bij sociale molratten (Cryptomys - Bathyergidae)” – UGent (Promotor) (14/03/2012).
  10. Emilie Descamps – “Phenotyping of craniofacial deformations in vertebrate model organisms: Analysis and visualisation tools of abnormal development resulting from defects in cell signalling and adhesion” – UGent (promoter) (04/05/2012). (text + figures)
  11. Mahdi Rajabizadeh - Biodiversity of the Snakes in Northern and Western Mountains of Iran, with Special Emphasis on Biodiversity in Colubroids – UGent (promotor) (17/12/2013). (text + figures)
  12. Céline Neutens – Transforming tails into tools: from evolutionary morphology of prehensile tails in syngnathid fishes to exploring bio-inspiration potentials – UGent (promotor, M. De Beule co-promotor) (21/06/2016).
  13. Mathias Bouilliart – Ontogeny and feeding performance of the enigmatic Anguilla leptocephalus larva: a morphological and biomechanical study – UGent (promotor) (31/03/2017).
  14. Jens De Meyer – From patterns to implications of head shape dimorphism on the complex life cycle of the European eel (Anguilla Anguilla) – UGent (promotor, C. Belpaire co-promotor) (30/05/2017). (text + figures)
  15. Tomas Praet – “The biomechanical structure of the seahorse tail as a source of inspiration for industrial design” – Faculty of Engineering and Architecture UGent (co-promotor) (28/05/2013). (text + figures)
  16. Spyros Nikolakakis – “Analysis of size and shape in early larval stages of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax): egg disinfection, axenity and bacterial load” – Faculty of Bio-engineering UGent (co-promotor). (8/12/2017). (text + figures)

On-going PhD's

  1. Thuong Phuc Nguyen – Nutrition and growth in gilthead seabream in relation to skeletal deformities – UGent (promotor).
  2. Allison Luger – Evolution of prehensile tail systems in vertebrates – UGent (promotor, A. Herrel co-promotor)
  3. Mona Goharimanesh - A comparative morphological approach to study the systematics of brittle stars from intertidal zone of Persian Gulf/Oman Sea and test the hypothesis on adaptive evolution of ophiuroids prehensile system – joint PhD UGent & Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (promotor, Fereshteh Ghassemzadeh co-promotor).
  4. Aurélien Lowie - The evolution of burrowing in limbless tetrapods (promotor, A. Herrel co-promotor).

  5. Liesbeth Van Hauwermeiren – Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (co-promotor, T. Van Hoof promotor)

  6. Mariam Gabelaia - Joint PhD (Ilia State University, Georgia (co-promotor, D. Tarkhnishvili promotor)