Microsoft word - cv_puniamoorthynalini.docx

NALINI PUNIAMOORTHY
Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich. Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH 8057 Zürich, Switzerland. Webpage: http://www.nalinipuniamoorthy.com
EDUCATION
2008- 2013
Phd. in Evolutionary Biology
Institute of Evolutionary Biology & Environmental Studies, University of Zurich

2006- 2008
MSc. in Biology
Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore
BSc. in Life Sciences (hons; 2nd upper)
University Scholars Programme (Admits top 5-7% of NUS students)
National University of Singapore
RESEARCH INTERESTS

Evolutionary biology and behavioral ecology
o Reproductive parasites and male-kil ing endosymbionts in Diptera.
o Evolution of ivermectin resistance in dung flies.
PUBLICATIONS
Publication Record (Thomson Reuters, Web of KnowledgeSM)
Total number of publications: 14 (12 published; 2 in press/accepted; 6 as 1st author)
Total number citations (excluding self-citations): 44 (Ave. citations per article: 6. 56)
Author h-index: 5

Publication List
Martin, O.Y., N. Puniamoorthy, A. Gubler, C. Wimmer and M.V. Bernasconi.
Infections with Wolbachia, Spiroplasma, and Rickettsia in the Dolichopodidae
and other Empidoidea. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 13:317-330. doi:
10.1016/j.meegid.2012.11.005
Blanckenhorn, W.U., N.Puniamoorthy, A. Scheffczyk and J. Römbke. Evaluation
of eco-toxicological effects of the parasiticide moxidectin in comparison to ivermectin in 11 species of dung flies. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2012.10.030. Blanckenhorn, W.U, N.Puniamoorthy, M.A. Schäfer, A. Scheffczyk and J.
Römbke. Standardized laboratory tests with 21 species of temperate and tropical sepsid flies confirm their suitability as bioassays of pharmaceutical residues (ivermectin) in cattle dung Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2012.10.020. Martin, O.Y., N. Puniamoorthy, A. Gubler, C. Wimmer, C. Germann and M.V.
Bernasconi. Infections with the microbe Cardinium in the Dolichopodidae and
other Empidoidea (Diptera). Journal of Insect Science (in press).
Ang, Y.C., J. Puniamoorthy, A.C. Pont, M. Bartak, W.U. Blanckenhorn, W.G.
Eberhard, N. Puniamoorthy, V. Silva, L. Munari and R. Meier. SepsidNet: A plea
for digital reference col ections and other science-based digitization initiatives
in taxonomy. Systematic Entomology (in press).
Puniamoorthy, N., W.U. Blanckenhorn and M.A. Schäfer. Differential investment
in pre- versus post-copulatory sexual selection reinforces a cross-continental
reversal of sexual size dimorphism in Sepsis punctum (Diptera: Sepsidae),
Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 25: 2253–2263.
Puniamoorthy, N., M.A. Schäfer and W.U. Blanckenhorn. Sexual selection
accounts for the geographic reversal of sexual size dimorphism in the dung fly,
Sepsis punctum (Sepsidae: Diptera), Evolution, 66: 2117–2126.
Puniamoorthy, N., M. Kotrba and R. Meier. Unlocking the “Black box”: Female
genitalia in Sepsidae (Diptera) evolves fast and is specific to most species,
BMC Evolutionary Biology, 10: 275.
Puniamoorthy, N., M.R.B. Ismail, D.S.H. Tan and R. Meier. From kissing to bel y
stridulation: comparative analysis reveals surprising diversity, rapid evolution,
and much homoplasy in the mating behaviour of 27 species of sepsid flies
(Diptera: Sepsidae). Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 22: 2146-2156.
Römbke, J., K.D. Floate, R. Jochmann, M.A. Schäfer, N. Puniamoorthy, S. Knäbe,
J. Lehmus, B. Rosenkranz, A. Scheffczyk, T. Schmidt, A. Sharples and W.U.
Blanckenhorn. Lethal and sublethal toxic effects of a test chemical
(Ivermectin) on the yel ow dung fly (Scathophage stercoraria) based on a
standardized international ring test. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry,
28(10): 2117-2124.
Puniamoorthy, N., Jeevanandam, J. and S. Kutty. Give south Indian authors their
true names. Nature, 452:530 (Correspondence).
Puniamoorthy, N., K. F.Y. Su and R. Meier. Bending for love: losses and gains of
sexual dimorphisms are strictly correlated with changes in the mounting
position of sepsid flies (Sepsidae: Diptera). BMC Evolutionary Biology, 8:155.
Ang, Y., N. Puniamoorthy, and R. Meier. Secondarily reduced foreleg armature in
Perochaeta dikowi sp.n. (Diptera: Cyclorrhapha: Sepsidae) due to a novel
mounting technique. Systematic Entomology, 33: 552-559.
Ingram, K. K., T. Laamanen, N. Puniamoorthy, and R. Meier. Lack of
Morphological Coevolution Between Male Forelegs and Female Wings in
Themira (Sepsidae: Diptera: Insecta). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society,
93: 227-238.
AWARDS AND PRIZES

Shortlisted for Hamilton Award 2012
o Shortlisted candidate by the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) for outstanding student talk at annual congress (22 out of 65 applicants).
SZS Travel grant 2012
o Awarded by the Swiss Zoological Society (SZS) to a select few applicants (7) for
Prize for best talk at Biology11, Switzerland. 2011.
o Awarded by the Swiss Zoological Society to best student presentation.

STRI Short-term research fel owship 2010.
o Awarded by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute to conduct a three month
research project on the Barro Colorado island, Panama and in the Central Val ey, Costa Rica.
NUS-Overseas Graduate Scholarship 2008.
o Awarded by the National University of Singapore pursue a PhD. in Evolutionary Biology at
the University of Zurich, Switzerland. . Honorary Mention in Student Competition 2005
o Presented at XXIV Meeting of the Wil i Hennig Society, Fagernes, Norway.

Teaching Excel ence Award AY2006/07.
o Awarded by the Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore to top teaching
assistants for excel ence in teaching (only 17 out of approximately 400 graduate students).
Lijen Industrial Development Medal 2006.
o Awarded to the honours year student with the best academic thesis in Life Sciences

The Wal ace Book Prize 2006.
o Awarded to the top graduating student who has distinguished herself/himself in BSc
Honours (Life Sciences) in the area of concentration of Biology.
Marie Stopes Student Travel Award 2005
o Awarded by the Wil i Hennig society to international students to attend overseas

SSE Student Travel Award 2007
o Awarded by the Society for the Study of Evolution to a select few (60 out of 230
TALKS AND CONFERENCE PARTICIPATIONS
Participating in conferences is one the most exciting ways to share my work with other members of the research
community. It also creates opportunities for potential international collaborations with colleagues in my field.

Conferences
Puniamoorthy, N. and W.U. Blanckenhorn. Differential investment in pre- versus post- copulatory sexual selection reinforces a cross-continental reversal in sexual size dimorphism in a widespread dung fly (Sepsidae: Diptera). Oral presentation at the 1st Joint Congress of Evolutionary Biology, Ottawa, Canada. Puniamoorthy, N., M.A. Schaefer and W.U. Blanckenhorn. Geographic reversal
of sexual size dimorphism in a dung fly Sepsis punctum (Sepsidae). Oral
presentation at the Biology11 meeting, Zurich, Switzerland.
Puniamoorthy, N., and R. Meier. Rapid divergence of internal female genitalia
between recently diverged sister taxa, as revealed by a comparative study of
41 sepsid species (Sepsidae: Diptera). Poster presentation at the 13th Congress
of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology, Tuebingen, Germany. (with
abstract).
Puniamoorthy, N., Kotrba, M. and R. Meier. Diverse females: Rapid evolution of
the internal female genitalia in Sepsidae (Diptera). Oral presentation at the 7th
International Congress of Dipterology, San Jose, Costa Rica (with abstract).
Puniamoorthy, N., Kotrba, M. Meier, R. The ‘inside-story’: Evolution of the
female internal reproductive system in Sepsidae (Diptera). 12th Congress of
the European Society for Evolutionary Biology, Turin, Italy.
Puniamoorthy, N. and R. Meier. 2007. Sex, Flies and Videotape: A study of
morphology and mating behaviour in Sepsidae (Diptera). Oral presentation at
the Evolution Meeting, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Puniamoorthy, N and R. Meier. The Tree of Love: The Evolution of Mating
Behaviour in Sepsidae (Diptera). Oral presentation at the 6th International
Congress of Dipterology, Fukuoka, Japan (with abstract).
Puniamoorthy, N and R. Meier. 2006. ‘Size Matters!’- Mating success
determined by male-to-female size ratio in Sepsis dissimilis. Poster presentation
the 6th International Congress of Dipterology, Fukuoka, Japan (with abstract).
Puniamoorthy, N and R. Meier. A Comparative Study of Mating Behaviour in
Sepsidae (Diptera). Oral presentation in the XXIV.Meeting of the Wil i Hennig
Society, Fagernes, Norway (with abstract).
Puniamoorthy, N, Kathy Feng-Yi Su and R. Meier. Sex, Flies and Videotape: The
evolution of mating behaviour in Sepsidae (Diptera). Poster presentation in the
10th Biological Sciences Graduate Congress, Singapore (with abstract).
University Seminars
2012
Puniamoorthy, N. Sexual selection and rapid divergence of morphology &
behavior in widespread dung flies (Sepsidae: Diptera). Invited speaker,
Evolutionary Biology Seminar, Bielefeld University, Germany. October ‘12.
Puniamoorthy, N. Rapid evolution of morphology and mating behvior in sepsid
flies (Sepsidae: Diptera). Guest speaker, University seminar, Syracuse University,
USA. June ‘12.
Puniamoorthy, N. Pre- versus Post- copulatory investment in Sepsis punctum.
Guest lecture, Undergraduate course in Reproductive Biology, University of
Zurich, October ‘11.
Puniamoorthy, N. Sexual size dimorphism and the rapid evolution of courtship
signals in black scavenger flies (Sepsidae: Diptera). Zurich Interaction seminar,
ETH Zurich, April ’11.
Puniamoorthy, N. Rapid evolution of morphology and mating behavior in
black scavenger flies (Sepsidae; Diptera). Invited talk, Behavioral Ecology
seminar series, School of Biology, University of Costa Rica, San Jose, Costa
Rica, September ‘10.
Puniamoorthy, N. Reversal of Sexual Size Dimorphism in a dung fly, Sepsis
punctum (Diptera: Sepsidae). Invited guest lecturer, Field Course in Alpine
Biology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling,
June ‘10.
Puniamoorthy, N. Sexy signals: A comparative study of morphology and mating
behaviour in Sepsidae (Diptera). Invited talk, in conjuction with the opening of
exhibit at the Zoological Museum, University of Zurich.
Puniamoorthy, N. Schwingfliegende Liebe: A comparative study of morphology
and mating behaviour in Sepsidae (Diptera). Bavarian State col ection of
Zoology, Munich, Germany.

Source: http://www.nalinipuniamoorthy.com/CV_PuniamoorthyNalini_MAR2013.pdf