M.S., University of Berne 1990
Ph.D., University of Neuchâtel 1999

After graduating from high school in 1982, I started studying biology in 1983 at the University of Berne. Since early childhood, I have had a strong interest in reptiles and amphibians, particularly snakes. In 1985, while still an undergraduate, I worked as a part-time assistant in the Swiss Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Programme (KARCH), where I set up the federal administration’s official herp database, designed and conducted survey projects and participated in fieldwork. In the following years, I acquired extensive experience in project management and the conservation of amphibians and reptiles.
From 1991 to 2001, I was co-director of KARCH and head of the reptile section. In that capacity, I implemented a reptile conservation programme, which included the extension of surveys to all cantons in Switzerland and the establishment of monitoring projects for the most endangered of the fifteen native reptile species. Essential parts of this work are summarised in the Atlas of reptiles (see publications, book).
Between 1988 and 1993, I carried out several herpetological field studies in rainforests in Africa, Australia and Asia. Developing a strong interest in community ecology issues, I decided to write my PhD on tropical herpetofaunal assemblages. KARCH’s supervisory board granted me a sabbatical year in 1994 to acquire the bulk of the field data, on Mount Kupe in Cameroon. Additional data were acquired in 1995 in Cameroon and in 1998 in Panamá.

Possessing field experience with both temperate zone and tropical reptiles and amphibians, my research interests are the ecology and conservation biology of Swiss reptiles and community ecology of tropical herpetofaunas. The current focus is on the ecology of reptiles in high-intensity agricultural systems, where I investigate the individual and population-level response to conservation measures. Research protocols include natural history, correlational and experimental components, using radiotelemetry, population genetics and manipulation of resource densities.

In 2003 I co-founded Integrated Scientific Services (ISS), a consulting company in the high-tech healthcare industry.
Besides my commitment at ISS, my current activities include lecturing and research engagements at the University of Basel (Department of Environmental Sciences, Section of Conservation Biology) and at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH).

I am serving the canton of Berne as a consultant in reptile conservation matters. From 2001 to 2009 I was a member of the scientific council of the Swiss Center for Faunal Cartography (CSCF).