About

Welcome to my website. My name is Konrad and I'm a Ph.D student and scientist at the Estonian University of Life Sciences. My interests broadly cover the evolution, ecology, and distribution of fishes and their parasites. I work primarily with freshwater fishes such as Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) and Northern pike (Esox lucius) and some of the parasites that infect them.

My Ph.D. project aims at significantly advancing our understanding on the biotic and abiotic factors which influence humic water adaptation in Eurasian perch. The Eurasian perch provides a unique opportunity to examine the effects of habitat on adaptability, because this species is able to live in both clear oligotrophic and dark humic lakes that differ starkly in both biotic and abiotic conditions. Of particular importance are pH, dissolved organic matter, light level, and parasite communities, because different environmental pressures may impact perch on genomic and epigenomic levels. Modern molecular technologies such as RNA-seq, RAD-seq, and ATAC-seq offer powerful ways of investigating these various levels of biological organization in the context of the environment, even in non-model species.

Currently Working On

• Population genomics in parasites
• Humic adaptation in perch
• Phylogenetics of live-bearing fish

Outside of Science

I like to make art. I enjoy classic woodblock etching styles (think Bruegel or Dürer), but I've also been getting more into pixel art. If my Netscape-esque website wasn't a hint, I am a big fan of the early internet-era style (shoutout Y2K), which extends to videogame art.

Perhaps you enjoy my aquarium here? These are all the lovely fish I have had the opportunity to work on over my time as a scientist. I will add more species as I continue my career.

I also make very bad videogames, very badly.