Dr. Anna Wereszczuk and Dr. Jan S. Boratyński from MRI PAS have been awarded scholarships through the Bekker NAWA program to support their scientific development at research and academic institutions abroad. Congratulations to both!
https://nawa.gov.pl/nawa/aktualnosci/grono-stypendystow-programu-bekker-nawa-poszerzy-sie-o-100-osob
Dr. Anna Wereszczuk will spend her fellowship at the University of Birmingham (School of Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences), where she will analyze cranial shape changes in five mustelid species over the last 100 years. Her research includes reconstructing skull muscles to investigate changes in bite force functional muscle biomechanics in order to reconstruct dietary changes in these species and learn more about their adaptability to a changing environment and climate. The research will be based on analyses of 3D models of skulls collected in natural history museums in Europe and scanned using computed microtomography.
Dr. Jan S. Boratyński, during his fellowship in the laboratory of Professor Roberto Nespolo at the Austral University of Chile, will investigate the evolutionary mechanisms shaping the behavior of a South American marsupial relic—the monito del monte (Dromiciops gliroides). His research will focus on the theoretical relationships between basal metabolic rate, exercise-induced metabolic rate, associated oxidative stress, and the personality traits of individuals with known life histories and ages. Since monitos del monte are considered “living fossils”, his research will provide insights into how the so-called life-history syndrome evolved in the distant past.