​Born in picturesque Bruges, Belgium, in the early 1980ties, I’ve been fascinated by the natural world since an early age – first observing birds in the garden, and later 'encouraging' my parents to build aviaries where I kept tropical birds such as parakeets, zebra finches and weaverbirds.

During my master studies I became more aware of the phenomenon of biological invasions, which offer both a unique opportunity to test ecological and evolutionary hypotheses, but also present a main threat to biodiversity and human livelihoods. While I am quite sure the birds that occasionally escaped from my childhood aviaries did not contribute to new invasive populations, my concern for conservation of biodiversity and the benefits it provides to people motivates my research into the laws governing the distribution and maintenance of biodiversity.

​By contributing to novel insights into ecological processes and patterns, I hope to help keep our planet within its ‘safe operating space for humanity’. Feel free to contact me with questions or inquiries.

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Contact
 
Dr. Diederik Strubbe
Terrestrial Ecology Unit (TEREC)
Ghent University
K.L. Ledeganckstraat 32
9000 Gent
Belgium
 
E: [email protected]
T: 09 264 52 54
Twitter​

Interests

  • Conservation Biology
  • Wildlife Conservation
  • Biodiversity
  • Ecology & Evolution
  • Species Diversity
  • International collaborations

EDUCATION and Positions

2018 - current | doctor-assisstant, TEREC (UGent)
​2016 - 2018 | Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2015 - 2016 | Postdoctoral researcher, TEREC (UGent)
2010 - 2014 | Postdoctoral researcher, Evolutionary Ecology Group (University of Antwerp)
2008 - 2009 | PhD Fellowship Belgian American Educational Foundation at the Graham Lab (Stony Brook University, NY, USA)
2005 - 2009 | PhD Fellow at Evolutionary Ecology Group (University of Antwerp) with Prof. Dr. Erik Matthysen.