Macroevolution
Research
Our lab focuses on macro-evolutionary
patterns across the tree of life.
patterns across the tree of life.
We combine experimental and computational approaches to understand macroevolutionary dynamics in different clades including animals, plants, fungi and bacteria.
Domazet-Lošo research group focus
Recently, we are trying to bring phylostratigraphic technology to the evolutionary and functional questions in bacteria, especially focusing on the bacterial multicellular behavior and its links to the multicellularity in animals. Our latest results show that developing Bacillus biofilms have embryo-like features.
News
News
Research
Bacillus subtilis biofilm development
Correspondence between evolution and development has been discussed for more than two centuries.
READ MOREBiofilm visualization
One of the most important advances in biofilm investigation during the last decades has been the availability to visualize living biofilms in 3D.
READ MOREBorrelia morphotypes
Borrelia burgdorferi is a spirochete bacterium that causes tick-borne Lyme disease
READ MOREHydra evo-devo
The correlation between ontogeny and phylogeny on a molecular level has been observed in different animal phyla, multicellular plants, fungi, and even in prokaryotic bacterial biofilms.
READ MOREPhylostratigraphy of gene gain and loss (PhyLoss)
The evolutionary life cycle of genes is powered by the process of gene birth and death.
READ MOREResearch
Meet the team
"Nothing in biology makes sense except in
the light of evolution"
Theodosius Dobzhansky, 1973
Dr. rer. nat. Tomislav Domazet-Lošo
senior research associate / principal investigator
Dr. rer. nat. Momir Futo
postdoc
Sara Koska, mag. biol. exp.
PhD student
Nina Čorak, mag. biol. mol.
PhD student
Tin Široki, mag. ing.
alumni / former PhD student
Tomislav Domazet-Lošo
Dr. rer. nat.
senior research associate / principal investigator
senior research associate / principal investigator
Dr. Domazet-Lošo graduated biology at the University of Zagreb in 1997, and earned doctorate from University of Cologne, Germany in 2003.
From 2008 to 2011, he held postdoctoral positions at the Max-Plank Institute for Evolutionary biology and Zoological Institute, University of Kiel, Germany.
Currently, he is a group leader at the Ruđer Bošković Institute and associate professor at the Catholic University of Croatia.
From 2008 to 2011, he held postdoctoral positions at the Max-Plank Institute for Evolutionary biology and Zoological Institute, University of Kiel, Germany.
Currently, he is a group leader at the Ruđer Bošković Institute and associate professor at the Catholic University of Croatia.
His research focuses on the macroevolutionary dynamics across the tree of life.
He combines experiments and computational approaches to get deeper understanding of the origin of new genes, evolution of development and evolution of biological complexity.
In the recent projects, he used phylostratigraphic technology to address evolutionary and functional questions in bacteria, especially aiming at the evolution of bacterial multicellular behavior.
He combines experiments and computational approaches to get deeper understanding of the origin of new genes, evolution of development and evolution of biological complexity.
In the recent projects, he used phylostratigraphic technology to address evolutionary and functional questions in bacteria, especially aiming at the evolution of bacterial multicellular behavior.
Momir Futo
Dr. rer. nat.
postdoc
postdoc
Dr. Momir Futo holds a postdoc position in the Domazet-Lošo Group at Laboratory of evolutionary genetics, Division of Molecular biology at the Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia.
Dr. Futo received hid PhD as a DAAD student from the Westfalian Wilhelm University of Münster, Germany.
His doctoral thesis was carried out at the Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Joachim Kurtz and he was investigating the role of microbiota in immune priming in insect host models.
Dr. Futo received hid PhD as a DAAD student from the Westfalian Wilhelm University of Münster, Germany.
His doctoral thesis was carried out at the Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Joachim Kurtz and he was investigating the role of microbiota in immune priming in insect host models.
Currently, his scientific interests are in genomic data analysis with a focus on genetic underpinnings of biofilm development in different bacteria.
Generally, he is interested in automatic visualization of microbial macrocolonies, biocontrol, beneficial insect breeding and the black soldier fly ecology and breeding.
He is also involved in outreach projects with the aim of raising public awareness of evolutionary biology.
Generally, he is interested in automatic visualization of microbial macrocolonies, biocontrol, beneficial insect breeding and the black soldier fly ecology and breeding.
He is also involved in outreach projects with the aim of raising public awareness of evolutionary biology.
Sara Koska
Mag. biol. exp.
PhD student
PhD student
Sara Koska is a PhD student at the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, employed as an assistant at the Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division of Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Evolutionary Genetics.
She received her MS degree in Animal Genetics and Breeding at the Faculty of Agriculture in 2015 and a MS degree in Zoology at the Faculty of Science in 2016.
In her master thesis from Zoology in the field of molecular phylogenetics Sara was exploring gene diversity and hybridization degrees of water frogs from the genus Pelophylax.
She received her MS degree in Animal Genetics and Breeding at the Faculty of Agriculture in 2015 and a MS degree in Zoology at the Faculty of Science in 2016.
In her master thesis from Zoology in the field of molecular phylogenetics Sara was exploring gene diversity and hybridization degrees of water frogs from the genus Pelophylax.
In her master thesis from Animal Genetics and Breeding Sara investigated the population structure of cattle by using high-throughput SNP data.
Sara has joined the Domazet-Lošo group in February 2018, where she is working in the field of molecular and evolutionary biology, population genetics and bioinformatics.
Sara has joined the Domazet-Lošo group in February 2018, where she is working in the field of molecular and evolutionary biology, population genetics and bioinformatics.
Nina Čorak
Mag. biol. mol.
PhD student
PhD student
Nina was born in Karlovac, Croatia. She obtained her Master degree in the department of molecular biology at the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb.
Her thesis was focused on interactions between azithromycin derivatives and peptidyl-transferase center of Escherichia coli ribosome using computational approaches.
She is working as an assistant at the Laboratory of Evolutional Genetics, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb as a member of Domazet – Lošo research group where she is currently conducting her PhD research on Phylostratigraphy of gene gain and gene loss.
Her thesis was focused on interactions between azithromycin derivatives and peptidyl-transferase center of Escherichia coli ribosome using computational approaches.
She is working as an assistant at the Laboratory of Evolutional Genetics, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb as a member of Domazet – Lošo research group where she is currently conducting her PhD research on Phylostratigraphy of gene gain and gene loss.
Her interests include the application of bioinformatics and statistics for studying evolution of development in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, as well as the utilization of computational methods and biophysical approaches in solving drug resistance problems in pathogenic bacteria.
Tin Široki (alumni)
mag. ing.
former PhD student
former PhD student
Tin Široki is a former PhD student at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER), University of Zagreb, Croatia.
He was employed as a researcher assistant in the frame of the DATACROSS project (advanced methods and technologies in Data Science and Cooperative Systems), and used to work as a part of the Domazet-Lošo research group.
He received his MS degree in Computer Science from FER in 2018 on the subject Metagenomics-based disease prediction.
He was employed as a researcher assistant in the frame of the DATACROSS project (advanced methods and technologies in Data Science and Cooperative Systems), and used to work as a part of the Domazet-Lošo research group.
He received his MS degree in Computer Science from FER in 2018 on the subject Metagenomics-based disease prediction.
