Claudius Kratochwil

Claudius Kratochwil is an Associate Professor at the University of Helsinki's Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE) and a supervisor for doctoral programs in Wildlife Biology and Integrative Life Science. He leads the Integrative Evolutionary Biology (IEB) lab, focusing on the genomic, developmental, and cellular mechanisms driving coloration diversity in tropical fish.

• Postdoctoral Fellow & Project Leader, University of Konstanz (2013–2020)
• Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Friedrich Miescher Institute & University of Basel (2008–2013)
• Diploma in Biology, University of Freiburg (2004–2008)

His research explores evolutionary biology through cichlid fish coloration, linking genotype-phenotype associations to speciation and phenotypic diversification. Recent work examines neural innervation's role in color change and Evo-Devo principles in tissue formation.

Key trends in publications include studies on genomic divergence, convergent evolution, and neurodevelopment in cichlid fishes, supported by grants from the European Commission and Research Council of Finland.

• MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships: European Fellowships (2025–2027)
• Academy Research Fellow (2022–2027)

He has delivered invited talks on color pattern evolution at institutions like the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) and contributed to 43 peer-reviewed publications.