Christian Sturmbauer

Christian Sturmbauer, born in 1960, is a Professor for Zoology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Graz since 2001 and has held leadership roles as Department Head and Deputy Head of the Department of Biology at Graz (2002–2020). He is a Corresponding Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OEAW) and actively contributes to ecological and biodiversity initiatives, including founding one of Europe's earliest molecular phylogenetics labs at the University of Innsbruck (1994). His research spans two major domains: (1) adaptive evolution and speciation in East African cichlid fish, focusing on genomic and morphological traits under natural and sexual selection, and (2) biodiversity documentation and conservation through projects like Austrian Barcode of Life (ABOL) and the Austrian Biodiversity Council.

His research on speciation mechanisms includes studying hybridization events, parallel evolution of complex traits, and gene regulation in trophic morphology using comparative approaches across the three Great East African Lakes. He also emphasizes public outreach and ecological studies in biodiversity preservation. Sturmbauer has supervised 18 PhD students and 45 diploma students, and his funded projects include grants from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and leadership in national biodiversity monitoring initiatives.

• Education: Habilitation (1997, University of Innsbruck) in Zoology and Evolutionary Biology; PhD (1990, University of Innsbruck) in Zoology; MSc (1986, University of Innsbruck) in Zoology; Diploma in Biology (1984, University of Innsbruck).
• Affiliations: Austrian Academy of Sciences (Corresponding Member); Deputy President, Zoological and Botanical Society in Austria; Steering Committee, Austrian Barcode of Life (ABOL); Editor-in-Chief, Biosystematics and Ecology (OEAW); Editorial Board, Hydrobiologia and Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research.
• Research Focus: Adaptive evolution, speciation genetics, biodiversity conservation, and eco-morphological diversification in cichlid fish.
• Projects: PI for GeMonA+ (2023), ATIV-Biodat (2023), FWF grants P29838-B29 (2017), and genomic sequencing projects (2011).