Dr. Matjaž Kuntner CV Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Novi trg 2, P. O. Box 306, SI-1001 Ljubljana, SLOVENIA; Office: +386 1 470 6338; Fax: +386 1 425 7797; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: http://ezlab.zrc-sazu.si/; https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Matjaz_Kuntner Summary PhD: 2005. GPA: 4.0. Publications: 95. Citations: 1750. H-index: 23. Grants: 29 (~3 M€). Awards: 10 Education Ph.D. (2005 Biology) George Washington University, USA Graduate coursework (1999-2004) University of Maryland, USA; University of Costa Rica B. S. (1998 Biology) University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Undergraduate coursework (1994) Western Carolina University, USA Personal Citizen of Slovenia Languages: native Slovenian, active English, German, Serbo-Croatian, passive French Appointments & Titles . 2008-2016 – Chair of Institute of Biology, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia . 2005-present – Head of Zoology Group, Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia . 2011-2015 – Governing Board member, University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia . 2011-2014 – Adjunct Professor, College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, Hubei, China . 2012-2017 – Assistant Professor, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia . 2007-2016 – Research Associate, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC . 2006-2008 – Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow, Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia . 2005-2007 – Research Collaborator, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC . 1999-2005 - Pre-doctoral Fellow, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC . 1999-2001 - Assistant Researcher, Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia Research . Evolutionary and comparative biology, e.g. evolution of spider extreme sexual size dimorphism and its biological correlates, such as sexually antagonistic behaviors and morphologies, and orb-web gigantism. Biodiversity, focusing on tropical spider faunas, diversity estimation and rare species. Biogeography, focusing on island speciation in the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean, Asia and Australasia, and on phenotypic traits enabling dispersal. Systematic biology, emphasizing spider phylogenetics and phylogenomics, theory of DNA barcoding. Taxonomy of spider families Nephilidae, Deinopidae, Araneidae, Tetragnathidae, Theridiidae, Liphistiidae. Behavioral ecology, e.g. biology of sexual mutilation and emasculation, spider web building and mating behavior. Conservation biology, biorepositories and animal DNA barcoding. Grants (total ~ 3.0 Million €) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2015-2016. PI on Bilateral grant Slovenia-USA, with I. Agnarsson: “Biology of spiders in the phylogenomic era” (3,500€) . Norway Grants, 2014-2015. Partner in “With Proteus we share dependence on ground water” (20,000€) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2014-2018 (256). PI on “Integrative research of sexual dimorphism evolution” (€300,000) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2014-2017. PI on “Young Researcher” graduate student funding (1 FTE, ca. 100,000€) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2013-2017, grant no. P1-0236. PI on “Programme Financing” of the Institute of Biology long term research agenda “Biodiversity: Patterns, processes, predictions, and conservation” (4 FTE, ca. 1,155,000€) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2013-2017. PI on “Young Researcher” graduate student funding (1 FTE, ca. 100,000€) . Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund / BirdLife International & DOPPS, 2013-2014. Partner in “A survey of the distribution of Proteus anguinus by environmental DNA sampling” (38,000€) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2013-2014. PI on Bilateral grant Slovenia-USA (BI-US/13-14-039), with I. Agnarsson: “Selected topics in systematic and evolutionary biology of spiders” (5,000€) 1 | P a g e Dr. Matjaž Kuntner, Curriculum Vitae . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2012. PI on “Programme Financing” of the Institute of Biology long term research agenda (4 FTE, ca. 230,000€) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2012. PI on “Infrastructural Programme Financing” of the Institute of Biology (47,000€) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2012. PI on small grant for international collaboration with Singapore (1,430€) . National Geographic Society grant 2911, 2011-2012. Co-PI with I. Agnarsson on "Islands on islands: Biogeography of spider web parasites and their hosts in the Indian Ocean" ($20,000) . Swiss Contribution (Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft), 2011-2012, grant no. C1536-1 1T440013. PI on "Towards permanent conservation of biodiversity: the case of spider fauna of Switzerland and Slovenia" (CHF50,000/€35,721) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2011-2015. PI on “Young Researcher” graduate student funding (1 FTE, ca. 100,000€) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2011. PI on “Infrastructural Programme Financing” of the Institute of Biology (59,000€) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2010. PI on “Infrastructural Programme Financing” of the Institute of Biology (86,500€) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2010. PI on small grant for international collaboration with Singapore (1,430€) . National Geographic Society grant 8655-09, 2009-2010. Co-PI with I. Agnarsson and T. Blackledge on "Casting spider webs across Malagasy rivers: Extraordinary silk in giant orb webs" ($23,750) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2009-2012 (2562). PI on “Phylogenetic systematics of Zygiellidae and its implications for spider evolution research” (€153,000) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2009-2012. PI on Bilateral grant Slovenia-USA (BI-US/09-12-016), with J. Coddington: “Sexual size dimorphism – its consequences for sexual and foraging biology in spiders” . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2009-2013. PI on “Young Researcher” graduate student funding (1 FTE, ca. 120,000€) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2009. PI on “Infrastructural Programme Financing” of the Institute of Biology (75,000€) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2006-2009. PI on “Young Researcher” graduate student funding (1 FTE, ca. 100,000€) . EU 6th Framework Programme, 2006-2008. PI on Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant No. 36536: “Nephilid spider phylogenetics as a test for antagonistic coevolution of sexes” (€76,000) . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency, 2006-2007. PI on Bilateral grant Slovenia-USA, with J. Coddington: “Biodiversity, systematics and evolution of orb-weaving spiders” . ARRS-Slovenian Research Agency Z1-7082, 2005-2007. Postdoctoral grant: “Nephilid spider phylogeny as a test for antagonistic coevolution of sexes” (1 FTE) . Smithsonian Institution (BDG & Small Grants), 2005. Estimating Spider Biodiversity in a French Guiana Forest Plot . Organization for Tropical Studies-Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution, USA-Panama, 2002. Mellon Foundation grant for fieldwork in Panama and Costa Rica . Sallee Charitable Trust, USA, 2000. Grant for travel and fieldwork in South Africa and Madagascar Awards . Miroslav Zei Award for exceptional achievements 2015 awarded by the National Institute of Biology, Slovenia . Darwin’s bark spider Caerostris darwini Kuntner & Agnarsson 2010 covered in the Guinness Book of Records 2012 edition as the holder of two records: largest webs and toughest silk . Darwin’s bark spider Caerostris darwini Kuntner & Agnarsson 2010 selected among Top 10 species for 2011 by the International Institute for Species Exploration, Arizona State University (http://species.asu.edu/Top10) . Darwin’s bark spider Caerostris darwini Kuntner & Agnarsson 2010 selected among Top 10 new species of 2010 by the Time magazine (http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2035319_2034045_2034038,00.html) . Largest orbweaver Nephila komaci Kuntner & Coddington 2009 covered in the Guinness Book of Records, 2011 edition . Largest orbweaver Nephila komaci Kuntner & Coddington 2009 selected among Top 10 species for 2010 by the International Institute for Species Exploration, Arizona State University (http://species.asu.edu/Top10) . Best Student Paper in Systematics, International Congress of Arachnology, South Africa, March 2001 . Organization for Tropical Studies, USA, 2001. Tuition award for OTS 2001-3: Tropical Biology – An Ecological Approach, June-August 2001 . National Science Foundation, USA, 1999-2003. Graduate student fellowship from a PEET grant in Araneoid Spider Systematics (to Hormiga and Coddington) . George Washington University, USA, 1999-2004. Tuition award for doctoral study Research Group (EZ Lab - http://ezlab.zrc-sazu.si/) . Dr. Matjaž Kuntner, principal investigator . Dr. Simona Kralj-Fišer, postdoc 2009-2013, researcher 2013-today (animal behavior and evolutionary ecology) . Dr. Matjaž Gregorič, EZ PhD student 2008-2013, postdoc 2015-today (spider web biology, material science) . Tjaša Lokovšek, research assistant 2008-today 2 | P a g e Dr. Matjaž Kuntner, Curriculum Vitae . Ren-Chung Cheng, PhD candidate 2011-2015, University of Ljubljana (Argiope phylogenetic and evolutionary research) . Klemen Čandek, PhD candidate 2013-2017, University of Ljubljana (biogeography) . Shakira Quiñones Lebrón, PhD candidate 2014-2018, University of Ljubljana (evolutionary ecology) . Nina Vidergar, research assistant 2011-2012 . Klavdija Šuen, undergraduate student collaborator 2011-2014 (spider behavior research) . Xin Xu, collaborator since 2011, PhD student at Hubei University