I started my academic career at the Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge by taking an undergraduate course in "Marine Biology, Biodiversity and Conservation". During the time of my undergraduate studies, I had several opportunities to gain practical knowledge in microbiological research of the sea surface microlayer within the Institut für Chemie und Biologie des Meeres (ICBM) in Wilhelmshaven, Germany but also in tropical ecology at the Makerere University Biological Field Station (MUBFS) in the Kibale National Park, Uganda. However, taking the module "Biogeography" in my third year shaped my research interest into biogeography, evolution and phylogenetics leading to a thesis on "The evolutionary history of the brachyuran superfamily Ocypodoidea and its family Ocypodidae". During my master’s degree in "Marine Biological Resources" (IMBRSea) at the Universiteit Gent I furthered my research interests in the subject of conservation, especially Marine Protected Area (MPA) development and fishery regulation. This led to the publication "DNA Analysis Detects Different Mislabeling Trend by Country in European Cod Fillets" at the Universidad de Oviedo. Starting from the first of March 2021 I am continuing my studies at CIBIO as a PhD student in the fields of biodiversity, genetics and evolution with marine gastropods on oceanic islands as study species.