Opportunities

Would you like to work with me?

I am always looking for keen volunteers, interns, Honours students, and collaborators to work with me. Whether it’s a research question of your own, or a research question we design together. If you are a young researcher or student this is a great way to get involved, get experience in the lab and in the field, and write up a publishable piece of research.

Email me at a.shavrova@unsw.edu.au

I have a few Honours projects currently available at UNSW:

1. Which females are worth fighting for?

Arachnids have extreme forms of sexual conflict – a fight between males and females where one sex tries to gain the most out of sex while being detrimental to the other sex (i.e sexual cannibalism, forced copulation). In the bulb mite, males can develop a fighter morph, which allows them to kill off and effectively monopolize females. However, how do males assess when monopolization is the best method of attaining high fitness matings? When do the costs of fighting other males outweigh the benefits? Which females are worth fighting for?

1. Can too much sex have dire consequences?

Arachnids have extreme forms of sexual conflict – a fight between males and females where one sex tries to gain the most out of sex while being detrimental to the other sex (i.e sexual cannibalism, forced copulation). In the bulb mite, males can develop a fighter morph, which allows them to kill off and effectively monopolize females. However, how this effects female fitness overall is still unknown.