dr. Yvonne Verkuil

Since 2014, I lead a DNA lab for ecologists at the University of Groningen where I work as an ecologist and research assistant. Wader researcher by heart and molecular ecologist by profession, I support a number of research programs of Groningen biologists, mostly in coastal and marine habitats.

During my PhD I worked in the research team of Prof. Dr Theunis Piersma on Ruffs and I received my molecular training in the lab of Prof. Dr Allan Baker at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada.

My current activities:

• Diet DNA metabarcoding – with Christiaan Both and his research group, I have developed DNA metabarcoding techniques to quantitatively describe the arthropod diet of insectivorous birds.
• Flyway evolution – together with Jesse Conklin and Theunis, I study the evolution of flyways in shorebirds.
• Ruffs – anything about Ruffs; currently I collaborate with Theunis, Raf Vervoort, Clemens Kuepper and Bart Kempenaers from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology.
• Any else with shorebirds – in my free time I volunteer in monitoring- and research projects along the Groninger coast and on the Marker Wadden.

And I love to write: You can find my publications on my Google scholar page and my personal page on the website of the University of Groningen.