CURRICULUM VITAE

  • My Curriculum vitae (CV) can be seen from here.

    • QUALIFICATION

  • 2008 to present PhD student in evolutionary biology, Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biology , University of Turku, Turku, Finland. Thesis titled "Molecular phylogenetics of the quadrifine Noctuidae (including Lymantriidae, Arctiidae and Nolidae of Lafontaine & Fibiger 2006)".


  • 2000- 2003 M.Sc. in agricultural entomology, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran. Thesis titled "A geometric morphometric investigation on geographic populations of Rice Stem Borer, Chilo suppressalis W. (Lep.: Pyralidae s.l.) in northern parts of Iran".


  • 1992- 1997 B.Sc. in plant protection, Shiraz Azad University, Shiraz, Iran.

    • RESEARCH INTEREST

  • Molecular phylogeny and evolutionary history of Lepidoptera (Noctuoidea)


  • Taxonomy of Lepidoptera (Noctuoidea)


  • Geometric morphometric analysis of insect population variation

    EMPLOYMENT

  • 2008 to present: postgraduate student in evolutionary biology (Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biology, University of Turku , Finland)


  • 2007- 2008: Curator of the Lepidoptera Collection at the Hayk Mirzayans Insect Museum HMIM, Insect Taxonomy Research Department ITRD, Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection IRIPP, formerly Plant Pests & Diseases Research Institute PPDRI


  • 2004- 2007: Entomologist (ITRD, IRIPP)

    • TRAINING COURSES

  • Workshop on Molecular Evolution, Europe 2010, Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic, 10-29 January.


  • A training programme on the biodiversity data programme BIOOFFICE 2.0 and data exchange (Tiroler Landesmuseen Ferdinandeum, Innsbruck, Austria, 1 February-31 March 2006).


  • A workshop on Multivariate Analysis and Geometric Morphometrics (IRIPP & Museum of Natural History of Paris, 31 August-4 September 2002).


    • PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

  • Molecular techniques
  • DNA extraction, PCR, electrophoresis and DNA sequencing methods


  • Taxonomy and Systematics
  • Taxonomy of Lepidoptera (Noctuoidea)


  • Geometric morphometric analysis


  • Computer softwares and programmes
  • Phylogeny
  • Familiar with TNT, MrBayes, Beast, BioEdit, Seaview, FigTree, Winclada, RAxML
  • Data management
  • BioOffice
  • Geometric morphometrics
  • TPS (e.g., tpsDig, tpsRelw, tpsRegr)


  • Natural History Museums
  • Studying lepidopteran materials of the following scientific collections:
  • Hayk Mirzayans Insect Museum (HMIM), Tehran, Iran
  • Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (Vartian Collection), Vienna, Austria
  • Zoologische Staatssammlung München (ZSM), Munich, Germany
  • Museum Witt of ZSM, Munich, Germany
  • Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
  • Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
  • Tiroler Landesmuseums Ferdinandeum, Innsbruck, Austria
  • Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden

    • AWARDS & GRANTS

  • 01.03.2010 to 01.03.2011 Finnish Cultural Foundation (€21000)


  • 01.01.2009 to 30.04.2009 CIMO (the Centre for International Mobility under the Finnish Ministry of Education) scholarship for international students for PhD studying at the University of Turku, Finland (supported by Dr. Niklas Wahlberg, €4,800).


  • 01.05.2008 to 31.12.2008 CIMO (the Centre for International Mobility under the Finnish Ministry of Education) scholarship for international students for PhD studying at the University of Turku, Finland (supported by Dr. Niklas Wahlberg, €9,600).


  • 2006 Entomology and Lepidopterology travel grant to Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe, Germany (SMNK), for attending third A.L.I. annual meeting (supported by Association Lepidoptera Iranica, €600).


  • 2006 Entomology and Lepidopterology travel grant to Tiroler Landesmuseen Ferdinandeum, for attend (2 month) to the training programme on the biodiversity data programme BIOOFFICE 2.0 and data exchange, Innsbruck, Austria (supported by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Tarmann & A.L.I. project, Euro1,500.00)

    • PROJECTS

  • Identification of Macrolepidoptera of Hayk Mirzayans Insect Museum (Since 2004).
  • Identification of lower categories of Helicoverpa & Heliothis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae, Heliothinae) genera in Iran, with Michael Fibiger (Denmark).
  • Taxonomic study of Iranian Noctuidae (Plusiinae), collaborator(s): Michael Fibiger (Denmark), Dr. Laszlo Ronkay (Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest) and Dr. Ian J. Kitching (British Natural History Museum, London).
  • Taxonomic study of Iranian Noctuidae (Heliothinae), collaborator(s): Dr. Alexej Matov (Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Science, St. Petersburg, Russia, ZI-SP) and Dr. Jeremy Holloway (British Natural History Museum, London).
  • Taxonomy and systematic of Iranian Drepanidae, collaborator(s): Ulf Buchsbaum (Zoologische Staatssammlung München, ZSM).
  • Taxonomy and systematic of Lasiaocampidae of Iran, collaborator(s): Dr. Vadim Zolotuhin (Department of Zoology, State University of Pedagogical of Uljanovsk, Russia).
  • Identification of lower categories of the economic importance genus Sesamia (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae, Xyleninae) in Iran, collaborator(s): Michael Fibiger (Denmark) & Dr. Alexej Matov (Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Science, St. Petersburg, Russia, ZI-SP).
  • Taxonomy and systematic of Catocalinae (Noctuidae s. l.) of Iran, collaborator(s): Dr. Alexej Matov (Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Science, St. Petersburg, Russia, ZI-SP).
  • Taxonomy and systematic of Notodontidae (Noctuoidea) of Iran, collaborator(s): Dr. Alexander Schintelmeister (Dresden, Germany).
  • Studies on population dynamics and regulatory factors of Helicoverpa armigera, Heliothis viriplaca and Heliothis peltigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on cotton, chickpea and tomato (a joint project with Dr. J. Karimzadeh, Department of Agricultural Entomology, IRIPP).
  • Taxonomy and biology of Noctuidae & Geometridae of Iran, collaborator(s): Mr. Lutz Lehmann (Natural History Museum of Berlin, Germany) & Dr. Dirk Stadie (Germany).
  • Molecular phylogenetics of the Quadrifine Noctuoidea (Insecta: Lepidoptera) (PhD project, supervisor: Dr. Niklas Wahlberg; advisors: Dr. Ian J. Kitching & Dr. Donald Lafontaine).

    • NEW TAXA FOR SCIENCE

    Noctuidae:

  • Gortyna flavagoides Fibiger & Zahiri sp. nov. from N Elburs (Mazandaran) (under description)
  • Gortyna gyulaii Fibiger & Zahiri sp. nov. from Syria (under description)
  • Oria persica Zahiri, Fibiger & Ronkay sp. nov. from NW Zagros (Kermanshah) (Zootaxa)
  • Catocala puerperoides Zahiri et al., 2008 (Acta zoologica Lituanica)
  • Dichonia (Griposia) jahannamah Fibiger, Stangelmaier, Weiser & Zahiri, 2008 (NEVA)
  • Margelana brunnea Fibiger, Zahiri & Kononenko, 2007 (Zootaxa)
  • Gortyna golestanensis Fibiger & Zahiri, 2007 (NOTA Lepidopterologica)
  • Amphipoea maryamae Zahiri & Fibiger, 2006 (Zootaxa)
  • Luperina farsiensis Fibiger & Zahiri, 2005 (Noctuidae Europaeae, vol. 8)

    • Arctiidae:

  • Arctia caja mazandrana Dubatolov & Zahiri, 2005 (Atalanta)
  • Watsonarctia deserta elbursica Dubatolov & Zahiri, 2005 (Atalanta)
  • Phragmatobia placida mirzayansi Dubatolov & Zahiri, 2005 (Atalanta)
  • Eucharia fesiva hormozgana Dubatolov & Zahiri, 2005 (Atalanta)

    Lasiocampidae:

  • Poecilocampa neka Zolotuhin & Zahiri sp. nov. from N Elburs (E Mazandaran, Neka forests) (under description)
  • Trichiura stroehlei kazeruni Zolotuhin & Zahiri subsp. nov. From S. Zagros (Kazerun) (under description)
  • Chondrostega darius esteri Zolotuhin & Zahiri subsp. nov. From S. Zagros (Kazerun & Dasht-e-Ardjan Shiraz) (under description)
  • Malacosoma parallela iranica Zolotuhin & Zahiri, 2008 (Zootaxa)