Carlos A. Botero is an associate professor of Evolutionary Ecology at the University of Texas at Austin. Through the complementary use of theoretical models, comparative analyses, and laboratory experiments, his research aims to improve our understanding of how organisms cope with and adapt to frequent environmental oscillations (a phenomenon known as “fluctuating selection”). In recent years, the Botero Lab has systematically applied the lessons learned from this work to characterize organismal responses to climate change, the eco-evolutionary dynamics of the avian brain, and the evolution of human culture.

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Richard Lenski studies evolution in action. Since 1988, he and his team have watched bacteria evolve in the lab for 75,000 generations, providing insights into the dynamics of adaptation, the repeatability of evolution, and the origin of new functions. Samples from throughout the experiment are stored frozen, allowing cells from different generations to be compared and competed. Lenski is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and a past President of the Society for the Study of Evolution. He has mentored more than 30 graduate students and postdoctoral scientists now on the faculties of universities around the world.

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Julia Pawłowska is interested in the evolution of one of the most ancient groups of land fungi – Mucoromycota, and their interactions with bacteria. Her team is particularly focused on their adaptations to extreme environments (including soil-community studies from polar regions or post-industrial sites). Her research includes not only the taxonomy, ecology, and physiology of early diverged fungal lineages but also focuses on their potential biotechnological applications. A significant part of her academic activity is also focused on teaching and outreach. She teaches biodiversity, botany, mycology, and eukaryotic microbiology. Since 2012, she has been involved in the Polish Mycological Society's development and activity.

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Wilco Verberk is an Associate professor at the Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology, Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He obtained his PhD in Freshwater Ecology in 2008, for his study on species traits to explain patterns in assemblages of aquatic invertebrates. Since then he has broadened his interest towards physiology and evolution and he continues to study physiological traits to better understand their ecological niche and their life-history evolution.

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