Welcome! 🐝

Hi! I am Leonardo Gonçalves, an evolutionary biologist from Porto Alegre, Brazil.

I am currently a PhD candidate at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) and a visiting student at Royal Holloway, University of London (UK).

During my PhD, my primary focus has been on mitochondrial DNA evolution, using bumblebees (Bombus) as a study system. Besides evaluating the utility of mitochondrial DNA in bee phylogenetics and taxonomic identification, I want to unravel its role in climatic niche adaptation and the intriguing transition to social parasitism in cuckoo bumblebees (subgenus Psithyrus).

As someone with a passion for integrative evolutionary biology, I look forward to combine observational studies, physiology, and bioinformatics in my upcoming projects!