project team

I am a community ecologist exploring how climate and nutrients shape the diversity and structure of insect communities and their ecophysiological adaptations. I use field and lab experiments across different scales to predict insect responses to contemporary global warming. I’m particularly fond of using ants to answer ecological questions.

I am a behavioural biologist passionate about how individuals make decisions and their ecological consequences. My focus is on the impact of microclimate on ant foraging.

I am an entomologist whose research is focused on the interactions between insects and their environment. I want to understand how ants acclimate to the temperature change and what are the consequences of this plastic response on their behaviour.

With a background in biology and chemistry, I joined the group as a PhD student in October 2024. My research focuses on investigating the physiological adaptations of ants to anthropogenic contaminants, thermal and nutritional stress. Through an interdisciplinary approach, I aim to deepen our understanding of how environmental stressors shape ecosystems.

As a doctoral student on this project, I’m researching behaviour and physiology of ants in dependence on temperature. I am mostly interested in behavioural ecology, and I find ants fascinating because of their cooperative way of life.

I am a Master’s student in Experimental Biology at the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb. My master thesis explores community-level differences caused by vegetation differences along the intermittent Krčić River, as well as the seasonal dynamics of certain species.

Sanja Stojak received her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Osijek and a postgraduate Diploma in Law from the Law Society of Ireland. Before her career at the Ruđer Bošković Institute, she gained work experience on EU projects from the European Structural and Investment Funds at the Bjelovar-Bilogora County and legal case management skills at the law firms in Dublin.