Aglaia Szukala, MSc PhD
2016-2022: PhD Student, University of Vienna and Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics, Austria.
Thesis: Parallel and adaptive processes during ecotype formation in Heliosperma pusillum (Caryophyllaceae).
Supervisors: Ovidiu Paun, Magnus Nordborg, Joachim Hermisson
Reviewers and/or examiners: Nicolas Bierne, Sophie Karrenberg, Gerald Schneeweiss.
2013-2016: MSc in Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
2011-2013: MA in Violin, Istituto di Studi Musicali Franco Vittadini di Pavia, Italy.
2010-2011: Erasmus Exchange, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Germany.
2009-2012: BSc in Environmental Sciences and Technologies, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Italy.
Evolutionary biology and ecology stimulated my interest the most during my undergraduate studies. For my master thesis in the field of plant phylogenetics, I worked on montane and alpine plants of the genus Jurinea (Compositae) in the Caucasus and I was fascinated by the population ecology of endemics in this region.
My PhD project focuses on understanding the processes leading to speciation, as exemplified by the reiterate occurrence of ecotypes within the plant species Heliosperma pusillum. The analysis of whole transcriptomes and genomes of individuals from natural populations, common garden and transplantations will allow us to clarify the processes driving convergent ecotype formation in this species.
Awards / Third-party funding
2021 - EMBO short-term fellowship grant for a research stay abriad at ETH Zürich, Switzerland.
2020 - Erasmus+ grant for a research stay abroad at the Free University of Berlin, Germany.
2019 - International Communication Travel Grant of the ÖFG for attending Evolution 2019 (Providence, USA).
Publications
Szukala A, Bertel C, Frajman B, Schoenswetter P, Paun O. 2022. Parallel adaptation to lower altitudes is associated with enhanced plasticity in Heliosperma pusillum (Caryophyllaceae). The Plant Journal 115: 1619-1632. Preprint: bioRxiv 2022.05.28.493825.
Szukala A, Lovegrove-Walsh J, Luqman H, Fior S, Wolfe TM, Frajman B, Schoenswetter P, Paun O. 2022. Polygenic routes lead to parallel altitudinal adaptation in Heliosperma pusillum (Caryophyllaceae). Molecular Ecology 32: 1832-1847. Preprint: bioRxiv 2021.07.05.451094.
Eriksson M, Szukala A, Tian B, Paun O. 2020. Current research frontiers in Plant Epigenetics: an introduction to a Virtual Issue. New Phytologist 226: 285-288.
Szukala A et al. 2019. Phylogeny of the Eurasian genus Jurinea (Asteraceae: Cardueae): Support for a monophyletic genus concept and a first hypothesis on overall species relationships. Taxon 68: 112-131.
Conference contributions
Szukala A, Frajman B, Schoenswetter P, Schubert D, Paun O. 2021. The role of gene expression plasticity during recurrent altitudinal divergence. SMBE 2021 (virtual), 3-8 July 2021 [oral presentation].
Szukala A, Frajman B, Schoenswetter P, Paun O. 2020. A transcriptomic perspective of adaptation to different altitudes in the Alps. Biodiversity Genomics 2020, UK (virtual), 5-9 October 2020 [oral presentation].
Szukala A, Frajman B, Schoenswetter P, Paun O. 2020. An integrative perspective of adaptation to different altitudes in the Alps. Botany 2020, USA (virtual), 27-31 July 2020 [oral presentation].
Szukala A, Fani A, Schoenswetter P, Frajman B, Paun O. 2019. An integrative perspective of adaptation to different altitudes in an alpine plant. ESEB 2019, Turku, Finland, 19-24 August 2019 [oral presentation].
Szukala A, Fani A, Frajman B, Schoenswetter P, Paun O. 2019. An integrative perspective of adaptation to different altitudes in an alpine plant. Evolution meeting 2019, Providence, Rhode Island, US, 21-25 June 2019 [oral presentation].
Szukala A et al. 2018. Convergent and adaptive processes during initial stages of speciation. The 3rd Speciation meeting, IST, Klosterneuburg, Austria, Nov 2018 [invited talk].
Szukala A et al. 2018. Convergent and adaptive processes driving parallel adaptation to warmer and drier habitats in the alpine plant species Heliosperma pusillum. The meeting of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland Sept 2018 [oral presentation].