NIB

EDUCATION

• PH.D. (Biology), George Washington University, USA (2005)
• B.S. (Biology), University of Ljubljana, Slovenia (1998)

ACADEMIC AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TITLES

• Professor of Zoology (2023), University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Research Counsellor (2017), National Institute of Biology, Slovenia
• Visiting Professor (2017), Hubei University, China
• Research Counsellor (2016), ZRC SAZU, Slovenia
• Research Associate (2005), Smithsonian Institution, USA

EMPLOYMENT

• National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia (2017-today)
• Biological Institute Jovan Hadži at ZRC SAZU, Ljubljana, Slovenia (1999-2001; 2005-today)

MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS AND SKILLS

• Field Chief Editor, Frontiers in Arachnid Science (2022-today)
• Director, National Institute of Biology (2018-2020)
• Principal Investigator on research programme “Biodiversity: Patterns, Processes, Predictions, and Conservation” (2012-2019)
• Head of research group: double institutional Evolutionary Zoology Laboratory (2011-today)
• Chair, Biological Institute Jovan Hadži at ZRC SAZU (2008-2017)
• Head of research group: Zoology, Biological Institute Jovan Hadži at ZRC SAZU (2005-2017)

TEACHING AND MENTORSHIPS

• Supervision of PhD students: Dr. Simona Kralj-Fišer (2009), Dr. Matjaž Gregorič (2013), Dr. Xin Xu (2015), Dr. Ren-Chung Cheng (2016), Dr. Klemen Čandek (2018) Dr. Shakira Quiñones Lebrón (2020), Dr. Mohammed Javad Malekhosseini (2022), Dr. Eva Turk (2022), Dr. Kuang-Ping Yu (2025).
• Occasional visiting lecturer: University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), University of Hamburg (Germany), Hubei University (China), National University of Singapore (Singapore), University of Puerto Rico (USA), Amravati University (India), George Washington University (USA).
• Committee member of B.S., M.S. and doctoral theses: National University of Singapore (Singapore), University of Western Australia (Australia), Macquarie University (Australia), University of Puerto Rico (USA), University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), University of Tartu (Estonia).

OUTREACH

• Editorial duties: Field chief editor for Frontiers in Arachnid Science (2022-present); Frontiers in Genetics (2021-present); Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology (2021); PLoS ONE (2014-2021); Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (2013-2018); Diversity (2020-present); Journal of Arachnology (2011-2014); ZooKeys (2012-present); Journal of Biogeography (2018-present); International Journal of Applied Zoology (2005-2011); ISRN Zoology (2010-2011); Hacquetia (2005-present); Phylonyms: a companion to the PhyloCode (Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2020)
• Council member and national correspondent: International Society of Arachnology
• Academic peer reviewing for over 40 scientific journals - see WoS profile at https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/1497083
• Reviewer for granting agencies: National Science Foundation, National Geographic Society, Macquarie University Research Fellowships, Grant Agency - Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, ARIS.

AWARDS (selection)

• MDPI, Best Presentation Award at the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Diversity 15–31 March 2022, online at iecd2022.sciforum.net
• Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts Golden Sign Award ZRC SAZU in 2021, Slovenia
• Fulbright visiting scholar to USA 2016/2017
• Newsweek, Top 10 new species of 2016
• National Institute of Biology’s Miroslav Zei Award for exceptional achievements in 2015, Slovenia
• Guinness Book of Records, 2012 edition: Discovery of a spider species with the largest webs and toughest silk, Darwin's bark spider Caerostris darwini Kuntner & Agnarsson 2010
• Guinness Book of Records, 2011 edition: Discovery of the largest orbweaving spider, Nephila komaci Kuntner & Coddington 2009
• Time magazine, among the Top 10 new species discoveries in 2010

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR ON RESEARCH PROJECTS

• ARIS basic project (J1-60005) "Evolutionary history of African hermit spiders: Biogeographic imprints of natural versus anthropogenic transoceanic dispersal (African Dispersal)” 2025-2027
• ARIS basic project (J1-50015) “Next Generation Biogeography: Raft spiders as a model lineage (BIORAFTS)” 2023-2026
• ARIS bilateral project SLO-USA (Bl-US/19-21-038): "Reviewing the evolution of female biased, extreme sexual size dimorphism" 2019-2021
• ARIS bilateral project SLO-China (BI-CN/18-20-022): "Biogeography of primitively segmented spiders: integrating taxonomic and phylogenomic research " 2018-2020
• ARIS basic project (J1-9163) “Evolutionary dead ends: The perils of extreme phenotypes” 2018-2021
• ARIS research programme (P1-0236) “Biodiversity: Patterns, processes, predictions, and conservation” 2018-2019
• ARIS bilateral project SLO-USA (Bl-US/17-18-011): "Phylogenomic, biogeographic, and evolutionary research trends in arachnology" 2017-2018
• ARIS basic project (J1-6729): “Integrative research of sexual dimorphism evolution” 2014–2017
• ARIS bilateral project SLO-USA (BI-US/15-16): "Biology of spiders in the phylogenomic era" 2015-2016
• ARIS bilateral project SLO-USA (BI-US/13-14-039): “Selected topics in systematic and evolutionary biology of spiders” 2013-2014
• National Geographic Society (2911). "Islands on islands: Biogeography of spider web parasites and their hosts in the Indian Ocean" 2011-2013
• ARIS basic project (J1-2063): “Phylogenetic systematics of Zygiellidae and its implications for spider evolution research” 2009–2012
• ARIS bilateral project SLO-USA (BI-US/09-12-016): “Sexual size dimorphism – its consequences for sexual and foraging biology in spiders” 2009–2012
• Swiss Contribution – Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (C1536-11T440013): ”Towards permanent conservation of biodiversity: the case of spider fauna of Switzerland and Slovenia” 2011-2012
• National Geographic Society (8655-09) “Casting spider webs across Malagasy rivers: Extraordinary silk in giant orb webs“ 2009–2012
• EU 6th FP, Marie Curie International Reintegration (MIRG-CT-2005-036536): “Nephilid spider phylogenetics as a test for antagonistic coevolution of sexes“ 2006-2008
  
  

Bibliography (COBISS)