Welcome to the annual retreat page of the PhD program in Ecology and Evolution of the PhD School of Life Sciences at the Faculties of Medicine and Science, University of Geneva.
This meeting promotes scientific exchanges and sharing of ideas and progress by strengthening links within the doctoral school among doctoral students working in the field of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Geneva.
It brings together students from the departments of Genetics and Evolution, Botany and Plant Biology, Genetic Medicine and Development and F.-A. Forel for environmental and aquatic sciences.
Date
2 October 2026
Venue
The retreat will take place at the Geneva Botanic Garden
Program and Schedule
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 8:45 - 10:00 | Visit of the garden, meeting point: La Console: Rue de Lausanne 192, 1202 Geneva |
| 10:00 - 10:15 | Coffee break |
| 10:15 - 10:30 | Yamama Naciri (JBG & Dpt Plant Sciences) and Lionel Cavin (MHNG) Welcoming address, introductory speech and presentation of the new ECOVO directors |
| 10:30 - 10:45 | Mathias Colin (Group Blasco-Costa, Dpt GenEv & MHNG) Integrated Monitoring of Fish PArasites in Changing Environments (IMPACT) |
| 10:45 - 11:00 | Elisa Denis (Group Naciri, JBG & Dpt Plant Sciences + A. Boissezon, HEPIA) Intraspecific Diversity of Macrophytes in European Pondscapes |
| 11:00 - 11:15 | Simon Beaufils (Group Cavin, MHNG) Evolutionary history of bony fish |
| 11:15 - 11:30 | Aymeric Plazanet (Group Zamora, JBG & Dpt Plant Sciences) A biosystematic revision of the family Cribrariaceae (Myxomycetes) |
| 11:30 - 13:00 | Lunch Break at Les Pétales (IHEID cafeteria) |
| 13:00 - 13:50 | Invited Speaker - Dr. Martin Schlaepfer (Senior Lecturer, University of Geneva) tbd |
| 13:50 - 13:55 | Lara Baggio (Group Currat, Dpt GenEv) Introduction: European Wildcat and Domestic cat hybridization dynamics |
| 13:55 - 14:00 | Khalil Boughalmi (Group Naciri, JBG & Dpt Plant Sciences) Introduction: Diversification, phylogenomics and biogeography of Madagascar's Sapotaceae |
| 14:00 - 14:15 | Alessandra Havinga (Group Nusbmaumer, JBG & Dpt Plant Sciences) Towards an Enhanced and Updated Vegetation Map of Madagascar |
| 14:15 - 14:30 | Coffee break |
| 14:30 - 14:45 | Gregorio Calderoni (Group Liberti, Dpt GenEv) Molecular mechanisms underlying behavioral responses to gut microbiome colonization in social bees |
| 14:45 - 15:00 | Junyi Yang (Group Liberti, Dpt GenEv) Introduction: Epigenomic Reprogramming of Honeybee Social Behavior by the Gut Microbiota |
| 15:00 - 15:15 | Tori Schummer (Group Liberti, Dpt GenEv) Host–microbe interactions shaping development, behavior, and ecological functions of social bees |
| 15:15 - 15:30 | Yamama Naciri (JBG & Dpt Plant Sciences) and Lionel Cavin (MHNG) Questions and closing Remarks |
| ~15:30 - 17:00 | ECOVO PI meeting | Short Visit of Les Serres de Pregny | Snacks and drinks |
Prize
Best presentation prize: tbd
Organizing committee
Alessandra Havinga, Elisa Denis, Aymeric Plazanet, Estella Poloni, and Mathias Currat.
