Roberto A. Keller

I received a Ph.D. in Entomology from Cornell University and the American Museum of Natural History, NY, in 2008. I am an Assistant Researcher and Curator of Entomology at the National Museum of Natural History and Science, in Lisbon. My research focuses on morphological evolution and diversity, particularly of insects. For many years I have conducted research on the interplay between morphology and behavior during evolutionary diversification, using ants as model system and applying traditional and modern imaging techniques. As curator of entomology, I oversee the preservation, organization, and study of Portugal's most important insect collection.
My research is driven by three overarching objectives:
i) Understand the evolution of animal form and the impact that modifications in skeletal and muscle anatomy have on behavioral performance;
ii) Discover and describe new species, study their variation, phylogenetic relationships, and how are they geographically distributed;
iii) Record and preserve biodiversity for future generations by maintaining active and dynamic collections of natural history, serving as inventories of past and present species, as well as to mobilize the biodiversity information contained within these collections.