Jan Janouskovec

Jan Janouskovec is a Lecturer in Ecology at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton. He holds a PhD from the University of British Columbia and has held fellowships at institutions including San Diego State University and University College London. His research focuses on marine phytoplankton, parasites, symbiotic interactions, biodiversity, evolution, genomics, metabolism, photosynthesis, and bioluminescence.

Jan’s research group at the University of Southampton explores the evolutionary relationships and ecological roles of protists, particularly apicomplexans and dinoflagellates. He has discovered new eukaryotic lineages and contributed to understanding phytoplankton evolution through studies of harmful algal blooms and symbiotic systems. His work integrates molecular biology, genomics, and field-based studies to address fundamental questions in evolutionary biology and environmental science.

As a supervisor, Jan currently guides PhD and MRes students in projects related to marine biology, parasitology, and microbial ecology. He collaborates with international research groups and co-leads the research group at the Institute of Microbiology Trebon, Czechia, alongside Eva Horakova. His research is supported by interdisciplinary initiatives such as the Institute for Life Sciences and the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute.