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Marina Rafajlovic

Researcher

Department of Marine Sciences
Telephone
+46 765-80 42 88
Mail
marina.rafajlovic@marine.gu.se
Visiting address
Medicinaregatan 7B
413 90 Göteborg
Room number
5285
Postal address
Box 461
40530 Göteborg

About Marina Rafajlovic

I am a Theoretical Evolutionary Biologist studying the mechanisms that facilitate, impede, limit or preclude local adaptation of natural populations under spatio-temporally changing environmental conditions. I am specifically interested in understanding how the potential for local adaptation is impacted by different species’ life-history characteristics (e.g., dispersal, reproductive strategy) and by intrinsic genomic properties (e.g., the distribution of loci under selection in the genome).

I study these questions from two angles:

- species range alterations (i.e., shifts, expansions, contractions);

- population divergence & speciation.

My research method primarily involves mathematical models and individual-based spatially-explicit computer simulations. I have been involved in modelling work linked to empirical data from the snail Littorina saxatilis, macroalgae Fucus vesiculosus and Fucus radicans, isopod Idotea balthica, fish corkwing wrasse (Symphodus melops), as well as Bufo bufo and B. spinosus toads.

I am currently actively involved in two externally funded projects:

  1. "Genes on the run - how to mitigate loss of genetic variation during climate induced migration". Role: co-PI. Project PI: Kerstin Johannesson. Funded by the Swedish Research Council Formas (running 2020 – 2022).
  2. "Recombination-rate variation, local adaptation and speciation under gene flow: a unifying theory". Role: PI. Funded by the Swedish Research Council Vetenskapsrådet (running 2022 – 2025).

Earlier funded and finalised projects:

"The role of plasticity in local genetic adaptation during range expansions". Role: PI. Funded by the Hasselblad Foundation Grant for Female Scientists (running 2019-2020).