Nyakatura Lab

I got my M.Sc. at the Humboldt University of Berlin in Organismic Biology and Evolution. In my master's thesis, I investigated the locomotion of Tamanduas using x-ray motion analysis and created a 3-D skeletal model of the pectoral girdle and forelimbs. Generally, I am interested in “old-school” evolutionary biology. How is a species’ morphology adapted to a certain environment and how do these traits compare to other taxa?

My PhD project focuses on limb morphology of Sengis (Macroscelidae), a group of small Afrotherians able of high speed locomotion. I am using an integrated approach, combining collection based morpho-metrics with in-field experiments to enlighten morpho-functional parameters. The goal is to describe their “micro-cursorial” lifestyle in various environments and compare their locomotion to other cursors and digitigrade species.

Here is a link to my Research Gate profile page.