The Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change

is a research museum of the Leibniz Association

Alexandros Vasilikopoulos

PhD Student

Chair Molecular Biodiversity Research, Centre for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb)

Tel: +49 228 9122-407

Fax: +49 228 9122-212

Mail: alexvasilikop [at] gmail.com

Tabs

Profile

Research interests

-Phylogenomics and molecular systematics

-Ancient rapid radiations of metazoans

-Multi-species coalescent and its application in genome-scale phylogenetic inference

-Phylogenetic conflict and systematic error in phylogenies inferred from genome-scale data

-A posteriori evaluation of branch support values in molecular phylogenetics with alternative measures

-Rare genomic changes as phylogenetic markers

-Phylogeny of arthropods with special focus on holometabolous insects

-Genome evolution and bioinformatics

Memberships

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Biologische Systematik, Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft, Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution

Projects

2012

1KITE: The evolution of the insects

Insects are one of the most species-rich groups of metazoan organisms. They play a pivotal role in most non-marine ecosystems and many insect species are of enormous economical and medical importance. Unraveling the evolution of insects is essential for understanding how life in terrestrial and limnic environments evolved. The 1KITE (1K Insect Transcriptome Evolution) project aims to study the transcriptomes (that is the entirety of expressed genes) of 1,000 insect species encompassing all recognized insect orders. For each species, so-called ESTs (Expressed Sequence Tags) will be produced…

Unit:

Directorate, Chair Systematic Zoology, Directorate Staff, Biodiversity Informatics, Computational Genomics, High-performance Computing, Statistical Phylogenetics and Phylogenomics, Staff Council, Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science (zbm), Education, Biobank, Hymenoptera, Chair Molecular Biodiversity Research, Centre for Molecular Biodiversity Research (zmb)

Project lead:

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof

Publications

Published in

2021

Vasilikopoulos, A., Balke, M., Kukowka, S., Pflug, J. M., Martin, S., Meusemann, K., Hendrich, L., Mayer, C., Maddison, D. R., Niehuis, O., Beutel, R. G. Misof, B. (2021): Phylogenomic analyses clarify the pattern of evolution of Adephaga (Coleoptera) and highlight phylogenetic artefacts due to model misspecification and excessive data trimming. - Systematic Entomoly 46: 991-1018. https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12508.

[more]

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12508

2020

Vasilikopoulos, A., Misof, B., Meusemann, K., Lieberz, D., Flouri, T., Beutel, R. G., Niehuis, O., Peters, R. S., Donath, A., Podsiadlowski, L., Mayer, C., Bartel, D., Böhm, A., Liu, S., Kapli, P., Greve, C., Jepson, J. E., Liu, X., Zhou, X., Aspöck, H., Aspöck, U. (2020): An integrative phylogenomic approach to elucidate the evolutionary history and divergence times of Neuropterida (Insecta: Holometabola). BMC Evolutionary Biology 20:64.

[more]

2019

Beutel, R.-G., Ribera, I., Fikáček, M., Vasilikopoulos, A., Misof, B., Balke, M. (2019): The morphological evolution of the Adephaga (Coleoptera). Systematic Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12403

[more]

Vasilikopoulos, A., Balke, M., Beutel, R.G., Donath, A., Podsiadlowski, L., Pflug, J.M., Waterhouse, R.M., Meusemann, K., Peters, R.S., Escalona, H.E., Mayer, C., Liu, S., Hendrich, L., Alarie, Y., Bilton, D.T., Jia, F., Zhou, X., Maddison, D.R., Niehuis, O., Misof, B., (2019): Phylogenomics of the superfamily Dytiscoidea (Coleoptera: Adephaga) with an evaluation of phylogenetic conflict and systematic error. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2019.02.022

[more]

2018

Pauli, T., Burt, T., Meusemann, K, Bayless, K,. Donath, A., Podsiadlowski, L., Mayer, C., Kozlov, A., Vasilikopoulos, A., Liu, S., Zhou, X., Yeates, D., Misof, B., Peters, R.S., and Mengual, X. (2018): New data, same story: phylogenomics does not support Syrphoidea (Diptera: Syrphidae, Pipunculidae). Systematic Entomology 43(3), 447–459.

[more]

Documents:

2018_syrphoidea.pdf

Johnson, K.P., Dietrich, C.H., Friedrich, F., Beutel, R.G., Wipfler, B., Peters, R.S., Allen, J.M., Petersen, M., Donath, A., Walden, K.K.O., Kozlov, A.M., Podsiadlowski, L., Mayer, C., Meusemann, K., Vasilikopoulos, A., Waterhouse, R.M., Cameron, S.L., Weirauch, C., Swanson, D.R., Percy, D.M., Hardy, N.B., Terry, I., Liu, S., Zhou, X., Misof, B., Robertson, H.M., Yoshizawa, K., (2018): Phylogenomics and the evolution of hemipteroid insects. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: 201815820.

[more]

2017

Petersen, M., Meusemann, K., Donath, A., Dowling, D., Liu, S., Peters, R.S., Podsiadlowski, L., Vasilikopoulos, A., Zhou, X., Misof, B., Niehuis, O. (2017): Orthograph: a versatile tool for mapping coding nucleotide sequences to clusters of orthologous genes. BMC Bioinformatics. 18(1), 111. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12859-017-1529-8

[more]

2015

Vasilikopoulos, A. (2015): Phylogenetic Relationships of Neuropterida (Insecta: Endopterygota) Based on Transcriptomic Data. Master thesis at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn, Bonn. 96 pp.

[more]

Presentations

Talks

Vasilikopoulos A., Balke M., Niehuis O., Pflug J.M., Maddison D.R., Beutel R.G. & Misof B. A transcriptomic approach to investigate the phylogeny of Dytiscoidea (Coleoptera: Adephaga). 2018. 111th Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society. September 10–15, Greifswald, Germany.

Meusemann, K., Yeates, D., Misof, B., Friedrich, F., Beutel, R.G., Schneeberg, K. & Vasilikopoulos A. 2016. Fleas, flies, scorpionflies: Phylogenetic relationships of Antliophora based on transcriptomics. XXV International Congress of Entomology, September 25–30, Orlando, Florida USA.

Meusemann, K., Yeates, D., Vasilikopoulos, A., Misof, B. & Beutel, R.G. 2015. Fleas, Flies, Scorpionflies: phylogenetic relationships of Antliophora based on transcriptomics. 7th Dresden Meeting on Insect Phylogeny, September 25–27, Dresden, Germany.

Poster

Vasilikopoulos, A., Antoniou, A., Magoulas, A., Lymberakis, P., Valakos, E. & Poulakakis, N. 2013. Evaluation of the evolutionary history of Podarcis cretensis (Sauria; Lacertidae). SEH 17th European Congress of Herpetology, 22–27 August 2013, Veszprém, Hungary.

EDUCATION

07.2017 – Present

Ph.D. candidate in Biology. Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and Zoological research Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof.

10.2013 – 11.2015

M.Sc. in Organismic Biology, Evolutionary Biology and Palaeobiology. Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. Grade: 1.1 “Excellent”. Title of thesis:”Phylogenetic Relationships of Neuropterida (Insecta: Endopterygota) Based on Transcriptomic Data”, supervisor: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof.

09.2008 – 11.2012

B.Sc. (Degree) in Biology. University of Crete, Greece. Grade: 8.28/10 “Very good”. Title of thesis: “Molecular Phylogeny and Phylogeography of Podarcis cretensis (Sauria: Lacertidae)”, supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Nikos Poulakakis.

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES-EXPERIENCE

07.2017 – Present

PhD student. Centre for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK), Bonn, Germany

01.2017 – 06.2017

Pre-doctoral research associate in phylogenomics-bioinformatics. Centre for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK), Bonn, Germany

03.2015 – 11.2015

Master’s student in phylogenomics. Centre for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK), Bonn, Germany

09.2014 – 10.2014

Master’s student (Internship - Individually arranged course). Comparative Genomics and Animal Evolution Group, Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Bonn, Germany

11.2011 – 11.2012

Undergraduate Researcher-Quarterly laboratorial course and preparation of bachelor’s thesis. Molecular Systematics Lab, Natural History Museum of Crete, Greece

AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS

10.2013 –10.2015

John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation scholarship for master studies abroad.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

10.2015 –11.2015

Teaching assistant. Course: “Bioinformatics for Master students”. An introductory course to programming in PERL, Master’s programme in OEP-Biology.

CIVIL / MILITARY SERVICE

01.2016 – 10.2016

Mandatory military service in the Greek army forces.

Staff search

Organizational placement

Please choose a staff list

Search form

Alexandros Vasilikopoulos

Tabs

Research interests

Memberships

2012

1KITE: The evolution of the insects

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2015

Talks

Poster

EDUCATION

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES-EXPERIENCE

AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

CIVIL / MILITARY SERVICE

Staff search