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I completed my PhD in Biodiversity, Genetics and Evolution in January 2021 at the University of Porto and I am currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at Ghent University. My PhD thesis was titled "Identifying local adaptation in large amphibian genomes". Before that, I obtained a joint MSc in Evolutionary Biology in 2013 from Uppsala University and the Ludwig-Maximilian University and a BSc in 2009 from Utrecht University. I have published 26 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals (e.g. Biological Conservation, Ecology and Evolution, Molecular Ecology) and have three more currently under revision. My work has been recognised with two awards and I have received four personal fellowships for my studies. I successfully obtained four research grants during my phd studies for a total of 43,000 dollars as PI or co-PI and two more totalling 480,000 euro as a team-member (see below). I have presented my work at numerous international conferences (e.g. ESEB, JMIH, Evolution, WCH), am an active member of the research and science communication community with memberships at ASIH and ESEB, and act as a reviewer for multiple journals. I am generally interested in the way evolutionary history shapes amphibian genomes, and how we can use functional genomic data to improve our understanding of adaptive traits and better inform conservation efforts.
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Identification

Personal identification

Full name
Kevin Patrick Mulder

Citation names

  • Mulder, Kevin P.

Author identifiers

Ciência ID
781D-AEEB-9571
ORCID iD
0000-0001-6688-8848
Google Scholar ID
3JbGKMQAAAAJ&hl
Researcher Id
J-2592-2019
Scopus Author Id
57072992700

Email addresses

  • kevin.mulder@ugent.be (Professional)

Addresses

  • Salisburylaan 133, 9820, Merelbeke, Merelbeke, Belgium (Professional)

Websites

Knowledge fields

  • Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Evolutionary Biology

Languages

Language Speaking Reading Writing Listening Peer-review
English Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1)
Dutch Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1) Advanced (C1)
Portuguese Upper intermediate (B2) Advanced (C1) Upper intermediate (B2) Upper intermediate (B2)
Spanish; Castilian Intermediate (B1) Intermediate (B1) Intermediate (B1) Intermediate (B1)
Education
Degree Classification
2021/01/05
Concluded
 Biodiversity, Genetics and Evolution (Doutoramento)
Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Ciências, Portugal
"Identifying local adaptation in large amphibian genomes" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 A
2013
Concluded
 Erasmus Mundus Master in Evolutionary Biology - MEME (Master) (Master)
Uppsala Universitet, Sweden

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany

Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology, United States
"Population structure in adaptive markers (MHC class II) among Irish and Scottish red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scotica) & Exploration of morphological differentiation and adaptation among island populations in male and female lizards" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 4.0/4.0
2009
Concluded
 Bachelor of Science (Bachelor)
Universiteit Utrecht, Netherlands
 3.69/4.0
Affiliation

Science

Category
Host institution 		Employer
2022/10/01 - Current Postdoc (Research) Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Vlaanderen, Belgium
Universiteit Gent, Belgium
2022/02/16 - 2022/09/30 Researcher (Research) California Academy of Sciences, United States
2021/01/01 - 2022/01/31 Postdoc (Research) Universidade do Porto Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Portugal
2019 - 2020 Visiting Researcher (Research) US Geological Survey, United States
2017 - 2019 Visiting Researcher (Research) National Museum of Natural History Department of Vertebrate Zoology, United States
2016 - 2019 Visiting Researcher (Research) Smithsonian Center for Conservation Genomics, United States
2013/01/25 - 2014/08/15 Contracted Researcher (Research) Smithsonian Institution, United States
Projects

Grant

Designation Funders
2022 - Current Strategic habitat conservation and adaptive strategies for recovery and pre-listing conservation of Eleutherodactylus (coqui) amphibians in Puerto Rico.
USFWS
Post-doc
US Fish and Wildlife Service
2025/01/01 - 2026/01/01 The third corner of the disease triangle: How pathogen variation impacts disease outcome and ecosystem resilience
RiBBITR2025
Principal investigator
Ongoing
2021 - 2024 ANTHROPOPHIBIAN: Phenomic, genomic and microbiomic responses to anthropogenic pressures
PTDC/BIA-CBI/2278/2020
Post-doc
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Ongoing
2018 - 2021 SALOMICS: Genetic and ecological drivers of reproductive mode shifts in salamanders: a comparative approach
PTDC/BIA-EVL/28475/2017
PhD Student Fellow
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
2018 - 2019 Unlocking the genomic architecture and evolutionary context of live-birth in European Fire Salamanders
33SML18BELLR
PhD Student Fellow
National Museum of Natural History Department of Vertebrate Zoology, United States
 Smithsonian Institution
2017 - 2019 Unraveling co-evolutionary dynamics of frog and fungal genomes to understand infectious disease
GGI2016
PhD Student Fellow
Smithsonian Center for Conservation Genomics, United States
 National Museum of Natural History Global Genome Initiative
2015 - 2017 Assessment of the status of the endemic new species of Alai pit viper
152510650
PhD Student Fellow
Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund
2014 - 2016 Determining the effects of the recent surge in illegal logging on the unique endemic amphibian and reptile biodiversity of Madagascar.
TEC2015
PhD Student Fellow
Explorers Club
Outputs

Publications

Journal article
  1. Matteo Riccardo Di Nicola; Kevin P. Mulder; Elin Verbrugghe; Federico Storniolo; Naomi Terriere; Luca Colla; ROBERTO SACCHI; et al. "Nationwide Screening Unveils Endemic Ophidiomyces ophidiicola Presence in Northern Italy, Mainly Affecting Dice Snakes: Evidence from Contemporary and Historical Snake Samples". Journal of Fungi (2025): http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jof11020118.
    10.3390/jof11020118
  2. Edward A Myers; Luigie Alequín; Ayanna Browne; Kevin P Mulder; Danielle Rivera; Lauren Esposito; Rayna C Bell; S Blair Hedges. "Population divergence in co-distributed Caribbean landfrogs (Eleutherodactylidae: Eleutherodactylus) along the Soufrière volcanic slope of Guadeloupe Island, Lesser Antilles". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (2024): http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae128.
    10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae128
  3. Tiffany Kosch; María Torres-Sánchez; H. Christoph Liedtke; Kyle Summers; Maximina Yun; Andrew J. Crawford; Simon Maddock; et al. "The Amphibian Genomics Consortium: advancing genomic and genetic resources for amphibian research and conservation". BMC Genomics (2024): http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12864-024-10899-7.
    10.1186/s12864-024-10899-7
  4. K.P. Mulder; Anna E. Savage; Brian Gratwicke; Joyce E. Longcore; Ed Bronikowski; Matthew Evans; Ana V. Longo; et al. "Sequence capture identifies fastidious chytrid fungi directly from host tissue". Fungal Genetics and Biology (2024): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fgb.2023.103858.
    10.1016/j.fgb.2023.103858
  5. K.P. Mulder; Frank Pasmans; Filip Van Nieuwerburgh; Naomi Terriere; Moira Kelly; Seline Bregman; Elin Verbrugghe; An Martel. "High Prevalence of a Novel Circovirus in the European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), a Common Species in Decline". Transboundary and Emerging Diseases (2024): http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/4670252.
    10.1155/2024/4670252
  6. Stefan Lötters; Amadeus Plewnia; Alessandro Catenazzi; Kelsey D. Neam; Andrés R. Acosta-Galvis; Yesenia Alarcon Vela; Joshua P. Allen; et al. "Ongoing harlequin toad declines suggest the amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency". Communications Earth & Environment (2023): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01069-w.
    10.1038/s43247-023-01069-w
  7. Gustavo Adolfo Pisso-Florez; Andrés Felipe Liévano-Bonilla; Glib Mazepa; Kevin P. Mulder; Héctor E. Ramírez-Chaves. "Distribution Update, Advertisement Call, and Phylogenetic Position of the Malvasá Rocket Frog, Hyloxalus pinguis (Anura: Dendrobatidae)". South American Journal of Herpetology 28 1 (2023): http://dx.doi.org/10.2994/sajh-d-22-00002.1.
    10.2994/sajh-d-22-00002.1
  8. Evan H Campbell Grant; K.P. Mulder; Adrianne Brand; Douglas Chambers; Addison Wynn; Grace Capshaw; Matthew Niemiller; et al. "Speciation with gene flow in a narrow endemic West Virginia cave salamander (Gyrinophilus subterraneus)". Conservation Genetics (2022): http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10592-022-01445-7.
    10.1007/s10592-022-01445-7
  9. Mulder, Kevin P.; Campbell Grant, Evan H.; Brand, Adrianne B.; Chambers, Douglas B. ; Wynn, Addison; Capshaw, Grace ; Niemiller, Matthew L. ; et al. "Speciation with gene flow in a narrow endemic West Virginia cave salamander (Gyrinophilus subterraneus)". Conservation Genetics (2022):
    In press
  10. Mulder, Kevin P.; Alarcón-Ríos, Lucia; Nicieza, Alfredo G.; Fleischer, Robert C; Bell, Rayna C.; Velo-Antón, Guillermo. "Independent evolutionary transitions to pueriparity across multiple timescales in the viviparous genus Salamandra". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 167 (2022): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107347.
    10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107347
  11. O'Connell, Kyle A.; Mulder, Kevin P.; Wynn, Addison; de Queiroz, Kevin; Bell, Rayna C.. "Genomic library preparation and hybridization capture of formalin-fixed tissues and allozyme supernatant for population genomics and considerations for combining capture- and RADseq-based single nucleotide polymorphism data sets". Molecular Ecology Resources 22 2 (2022): 487-502. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13481.
    10.1111/1755-0998.13481
  12. Mulder, Kevin P.; Wynn, Addison; Jacobs, Jeremy F; Kuchta, Shawn R. ; Niemiller, Matthew L; Highton, Richard; Fleischer, Robert C.; et al. "Accounting for phylogenetic reticulation reveals complex history of diversification and introgression across caves, mountains, and watersheds in a widespread salamander genus (Plethodontidae: Gyrinophilus)". Bulletin of the Society of Systematic Biologists (2022):
    Under revision
  13. Mulder, Kevin P.; Lourenço, Andre; Gomez-Mestre, Ivan; Carneiro, Miguel; Buckley, David; Martínez-Solano, Ivan; Fleischer, Robert C; Bell, Rayna C; Velo-Antón, Guillermo. Corresponding author: Mulder, Kevin P.. "Comparative transcriptomic analyses reveal candidate genes for convergent evolutionary shifts from larviparity to pueriparity within viviparous fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra)". (2022):
    Under revision
  14. Tome, Beatriz; Mulder, Kevin P; Jorge, Fatima; de Sousa, Amanda; Archer, John; Muñoz-Mérida, Antonio; Harris, D. James; Perera, A. "The more the merrier: use of high-throughput sequencing to reconstruct the mitogenomes of four parasitic nematodes". (2022):
    Under revision
  15. O'Connell, Kyle A.; Mulder, Kevin P.; Wynn, Addison; de Quieroz, Kevin; Bell, Rayna C.. "The utility of formalin-fixed tissues and allozyme supernatant for population genomics and considerations for combining capture- and RADseq-based SNP datasets". Authorea (2021): http://dx.doi.org/10.22541/au.161598002.27985989/v1.
    Published
  16. O'Connell, Kyle A.; Prates, Ivan; Scheinberg, Lauren A.; Mulder, Kevin P.; Bell, Rayna C.. "Speciation and secondary contact in a fossorial island endemic, the São Tomé caecilian". Molecular Ecology 30 12 (2021): 2859-2871. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.15928.
    10.1111/mec.15928
  17. Dufresnes, Christophe; Mazepa, Glib; Jablonski, Daniel; Oliveira, Ricardo Caliari; Wenseleers, Tom; Mulder, Kevin P.; Shabanov, Dmytro A.; et al. "Fifteen shades of green: The evolution of Bufotes toads revisited". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 141 (2019): 106615. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106615.
    10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106615
  18. Wegener, Johanna E.; Mulder, Kevin P.; Pringle, Robert M.; Losos, Jonathan B.; Kolbe, Jason J.. "Head Size of Male and Female Lizards Increases With Population Density Across Island Populations in the Bahamas". Breviora 566 1 (2019): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.3099/0006-9698-566.1.1.
    10.3099/0006-9698-566.1.1
  19. Mulder, Kevin P.; Cortes-Rodriguez, Nandadevi; Campbell Grant, Evan H.; Brand, Adrianne; Fleischer, Robert C.. "North-facing slopes and elevation shape asymmetric genetic structure in the range-restricted salamander Plethodon shenandoah". Ecology and Evolution 9 9 (2019): 5094-5105. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5064.
    10.1002/ece3.5064
  20. O'Connell, Kyle A.; Mulder, Kevin P.; Maldonado, Jose; Currie, Kathleen L.; Ferraro, Dennis M.. "Sampling related individuals within ponds biases estimates of population structure in a pond-breeding amphibian". Ecology and Evolution 9 6 (2019): 3620-3636. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4994.
    10.1002/ece3.4994
  21. Savage, Anna E.; Muletz-Wolz, Carly R.; Campbell Grant, Evan H.; Fleischer, Robert C.; Mulder, Kevin P.. "Functional variation at an expressed MHC class IIß locus associates with Ranavirus infection intensity in larval anuran populations". Immunogenetics 71 4 (2019): 335-346. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00251-019-01104-1.
    10.1007/s00251-019-01104-1
  22. Chambert, Thierry; Grant, Evan H. Campbell; Miller, David A. W.; Nichols, James D.; Mulder, Kevin P.; Brand, Adrianne B.. "Two-species occupancy modelling accounting for species misidentification and non-detection". Methods in Ecology and Evolution 9 6 (2018): 1468-1477. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/2041-210x.12985.
    10.1111/2041-210x.12985
  23. "Two-species occupancy modeling accounting for species misidentification and nondetection". Methods in Ecology and Evolution (2018):
    10.1111/2041-210X.12985.
  24. Mulder, Kevin P.; Cortazar-Chinarro, Maria; Harris, D. James; Crottini, Angelica; Campbell Grant, Evan H.; Fleischer, Robert C.; Savage, Anna E.. "Evolutionary dynamics of an expressed MHC class IIß locus in the Ranidae (Anura) uncovered by genome walking and high-throughput amplicon sequencing". Developmental & Comparative Immunology 76 (2017): 177-188. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dci.2017.05.022.
    10.1016/j.dci.2017.05.022
  25. Savage, Anna E.; Mulder, Kevin P.; Torres, Taina; Wells, Stuart. "Lost but not forgotten: MHC genotypes predict overwinter survival despite depauperate MHC diversity in a declining frog". Conservation Genetics 19 2 (2017): 309-322. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10592-017-1001-3.
    10.1007/s10592-017-1001-3
  26. Mulder, Kevin P.; Walde, Andrew D.; Boarman, William I.; Woodman, A. Peter; Latch, Emily K.; Fleischer, Robert C.. "No paternal genetic integration in desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) following translocation into an existing population". Biological Conservation 210 (2017): 318-324. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.04.030.
    10.1016/j.biocon.2017.04.030
  27. Meyer-Lucht, Yvonne; Mulder, Kevin P.; James, Marianne C.; McMahon, Barry J.; Buckley, Kieran; Piertney, Stuart B.; Höglund, Jacob. "Adaptive and neutral genetic differentiation among Scottish and endangered Irish red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scotica)". Conservation Genetics 17 3 (2016): 615-630. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10592-016-0810-0.
    10.1007/s10592-016-0810-0
  28. Mulder, Kevin P.; Lourenço, André; Carneiro, Miguel; Velo-Antón, Guillermo. "The complete mitochondrial genome of Salamandra salamandra (Amphibia: Urodela: Salamandridae)". Mitochondrial DNA Part B 1 1 (2016): 880-882. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2016.1253042.
    10.1080/23802359.2016.1253042
  29. Ramírez-Chaves, Hector E.; Mulder, Kevin P.; Marín, David; Pérez Weimar A.; Martínez-Arias, Víctor. M. "Has Colombian Weasel Mustela felipei Been Overlooked in Collections?". Small Carnivore Conservation 47 (2012): 30-34.
    Published
Activities

Oral presentation

Presentation title Event name
Host (Event location)
2024/08/08 Genome-scale chytrid data without culturing World Congress of Herpetology
(Kuching, Malaysia)
2024/04/08 Using sequence capture to genotype fastidious strains Bsal Working Group
(Toronto, Canada)
2024/02/12 How can DNA help us improve translocations efforts in amphibians and reptiles? Herpetology Course
Antwerpen University (Antwerpen, Belgium)
2019 North-facing slopes and elevation shape asymmetric genetic structure in the range-restricted salamander Plethodon shenandoah Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
(Salt Lake City, United States)
2019 Using genetics to inform conservation efforts Volunteer night
National Zoo's Reptile Discovery Center (Washington, DC, United States)
2018 Combined sequence capture data targeting host immunity and pathogen virulence genes in chytrid-infected frogs across the genus Rana reveal co-evolutionary dynamics of chytridiomycosis Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology
(Montpellier, France)
2018 Reproductive mode shifts in fire salamanders Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
(Rochester, United States)
2016 Your Inner Evolutionary Biologist Evolution course
Utrecht University (Netherlands)

Event organisation

Event name
Type of event (Role) 		Institution / Organization
2017/02/21 - 2017/02/23 Biogenomics (2017) National Museum of Natural History, United States

Conference scientific committee

Conference name Conference host
2024/01/01 - Current 2024 Global Amphibian and Reptile Disease Conference WCH
Distinctions

Award

2022 FWO Junior Postdoctoral Fellowship
2018 Smithsonian Secretary's Research Award for Best Article
Smithsonian Institution, United States
2018 Stebbins Research Award 2018

Other distinction

2019 Smithsonian pre-doctoral fellowship
Smithsonian Institution, United States
2016 Erasmus+ short stay abroad
2014 BioDiv PhD scholarship
Universidade do Algarve Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Portugal
2010 Erasmus Mundus scholarship
European Union, Belgium