Mgr. Jakub Straka, Ph.D.

Professional Specialization: Entomology, bees and wasps, evolution of sociality, coevolution between parasites and hosts.

Research Focus: Our group is engaged in multiple research directions simultaneously, utilizing both traditional morphological and modern genomic methods. The main areas include the study of the evolution of bee behavior from solitary, through cuckoo, to eusocial behavior; phylogenomics of bees and their parasites; coevolution between parasites (strepsipterans, cuckoo bees) and their hosts (bees, wasps); host behavior manipulation by parasites; description of new species and genera of bees and their parasites; and last but not least, the practical application of bee-related knowledge in the conservation of species diversity. We often conduct fieldwork abroad (recently, for example, in Argentina, Morocco, Tajikistan, as well as broader Central Europe). I have co-authored more than a hundred publications and several collective monographs (such as European Red List of Bees, Climatic Risk and Distribution Atlas of European Bumblebees).

Teaching: Biology of Social Insects (Eng), Introduction to Entomology (Eng), General Entomology (Cz), Systematics and Phylogeny of Insects I and II (Cz), Practical Course in Introduction to Entomology (Cz). I lecture some of these courses in English.