I am a herpetologist and nature conservationist and came to the AG Müller to supplement the group of modern herpetologists and expand research in the field of African herp biodiversity studies and climate change impacts. My main field of interest are linkages of ecological traits, distribution and evolutionary history of species with main focus on reptiles and particularly Lacertidae. Most recent studies encompassed the biogeography of Southern African Inselbergs, ecological studies of an endemic lacertid from South Africa ( Australolacerta rupicola ) and the phylogeography of the southern clade of the Eremiadinae (Lacertidae). Aside from that, I still work as consulting engineer in the field of impact assessments and monitoring of reptiles, amphibians, birds, beetles and butterflies. For my PhD thesis, I work on temporal diversity dynamics in Namibian reptiles with special emphasis on the desert species of Lacertidae (genera Meroles , Pedioplanis ). For this project, I want to combine field work with niche modelling techniques, population genetics, phylogeography and morphology.

Contact: sebastian.kirchhof (at) mfn-berlin.de