Jo Skeie Hermansen
Background
I am an evolutionary biologist with background from work on the role of hybridization and genomic conflicts in speciation. During my PhD I showed that the Italian sparrow (Passer italiae) is a hybrid species, the first example of this mode of speciation in birds. Since then I have worked on different topics, including the natural ecology of plague – the most devastating pandemic disease in human history – and macroevolutionary consequences of sexual conflicts. Currently I am working on a project trying to quantify the relative contributions of biotic and abiotic drivers to macroevolutionary change.
My work has been widely covered by international and national media, including the Editors' Choice-section of Science as well as by BBC, NPR, and NRK – both in written form, on radio and on television.
Awards
His Majesty The King's gold medal 2015