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Oleksandr Holovachov

Senior Curator

Zoologi

Nematode Diversity

He describes himself as patient, curious, and persistent. Oleksandr Holovachov wanted to study animal diversity already at the age of six.

— The most interesting aspect of my profession is discovering new things and visiting incredible places.

After studying at universities in Ukraine, the Netherlands, and the USA, Oleksandr Holovachov received a scholarship to work at the Swedish Museum of Natural History. His research area here focuses on the diversity and evolution of nematodes and their interactions with other organisms.

The Goal

So what does he aim to achieve with his research, individually or collaboratively?

— Ultimately, I want people to understand and appreciate the diversity of nematodes, and for other researchers to be able to identify them and use them in their own research within a broader evolutionary context, says Oleksandr Holovachov. Speaking of research colleagues, he fondly remembers his work with Mohammed Ahmed as a postdoctoral researcher in his projects.

I want people to understand nematodes.

Never a Dull Moment

Oleksandr Holovachov cannot recall a single greatest surprise in his work, whether negative or positive. But…

— My work is full of small surprises!

When he's not working, he enjoys collecting and cooking wild edibles such as herbs, berries, and mushrooms – and learning new things about a variety of unrelated topics.

Education

Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Ukraine (MSc). Wageningen University, Netherlands (Ph.D.). University of California - Riverside, USA (Post-Doc).

Previous Work

Swedish Museum of Natural History as a project-based employment.

Contact details

Oleksandr Holovachov

Senior Curator

Zoology

Oleksandr HolovachovOleksandr.Holovachov@nrm.se

Oleksandr Holovachov is involved in the following projects:

Diversity and evolution of nematodes

Nematodes, or roundworms, are one of those groups of animals that we humans do not notice in our daily lives, but that affect us in many different and