Former Members

Tilen Komel is a post-doc researcher with a doctoral degree in biomedicine. He is a teaching assistant, holding practical courses in general and in organic chemistry and biochemistry. He is currently involved in stakeholder engagement studies at the Horizon Europe project BEPREP. His research focuses on evaluating the relationship between genomic diversity and epigenetic mechanisms of selected environmental parameters of ruminant fitness using the European roe deer as a model species. He also participated in a training course for persons designing projects on animals carried out in accordance with Directive 2010/63/EU.

Jan Kopinič is a laboratory assistant mainly focusing on projects surrounding the alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra). He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in Ecology and Biodiversity, both obtained from the Biotechnical Faculty in Ljubljana. In addition to laboratory work, he also assists in preparing and carrying out lectures from both ecological and genetic courses. He also acted as an aide in the Molecular Ecology Group’s involvement in stakeholder engagement studies at the Horizon Europe project BEPREP.

Lan Zirkelbach is an assistant at UP FAMNIT and UP FHŠ, teaching practical courses on bioinformatics and natural heritage. He finished his master’s degree at the Biotechnical Faculty of University of Ljubljana where he explored metabarcoding approaches in benthic invertebrate monitoring. He worked on various international projects such as the Horizon Europe project PRO-COAST and Biodiversa+ project BIG PICTURE, focusing on citizen science, data collection with camera traps and the SRNA app.