Born 8th December 1988 in Reims, France
Education
2011: BSc. in Organismal Biology, University of Rennes 1, France
2013: MSc. in Ecology, Biodiversity and Evolution, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France; MSc. thesis 1: University Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris. Evolutionary origin of a new phenotype in the North African ant Cataglyphis bombycina; MSc. thesis 2: National Museum of Natural History, Paris. Habitat and demographic parameters of the endangered vulture Neophron percnopterus.
2019: Ph.D. in Entomology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic. PhD. thesis: Biodiversity patterns of butterflies and moths on Mount Cameroon
Employment
since 2014: Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic (Ph.D. student)
2014-2018: Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic (technician)
2013: French League for Bird Conservation (LPO), monitoring of two endangered vulture species in the Occidental Pyrénées region, France
Research and study experience
since 2014: Cameroon – research on biodiversity changes of Afromontane moths along an altitudinal gradient of Mt. Cameroon, and sampling of herbivore-plant interactions in lowland rainforest (8 expeditions, 17 months together).
since 2014: Zoological Museum of the Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland (repeated short visits, 3 months together)
since 2015: Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Lepidoptera section, Munich, Germany (repeated visits, 2 months together)
2018: University of Vienna, Austria, research internship with Prof. Konrad Fiedler (2 months)
2017: Zimbabwe, sampling of moths along a gradient of environmental productivity (2 weeks)
2017: Czechia, sampling of plant-pollinator interactions in fragmented wet meadows in the Zelezne hory Mts. 1 month.
2014: Lepidoptera monitoring, Hungary: Hungarian Natural Heritage Trust, Sopron (1 week)
2013: fieldworks in the Pyrénées Mountains, France: habitat and demographic parameters of the endangered vulture Neophron percnopterus.
2012: Master thesis: University Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris – evolutionary origin of a new phenotype in the African ant Cataglyphis bombycina.
Grants
Principal investigator
2016-2017 – Elephants as a keystone in forming and maintaining of tropical biodiversity – a study of moths in Mt. Cameroon, University of South Bohemia Grant Agency
Collaborating researcher
2014-2018 – Centre for Tropical Ecology, Czech Science Foundation (PI: prof. Vojtěch Novotný).
2018-2020 – Crucial drivers for pollination networks organisation: Effects of altitude, latitude and habitat fragmentation, PRIMUS project from the Charles University (PI: Robert Tropek)
Awards
2018: Best Ph.D. student publication of the year at Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre CAS (Maicher et al. 2018, Ecology and Evolution, 8, 12761-12772)
2018: Best presentation award – PhD seminar. Department of Zoology, University of South Bohemia.
2017: Best presentation award – PhD seminar. Department of Zoology, University of South Bohemia.
Publications
Maicher V., Sáfián Sz., Murkwe M., Delabye S., Przybyłowicz Ł., Potocký P., Kobe I.N., Janeček Š., Mertens J.E.J., Fokam E.B., Pyrcz T., Doležal J., Altman J., Hořák D., Fiedler K., Tropek R. (accepted) Seasonal shifts of biodiversity patterns and species’ elevation ranges of butterflies and moths along a complete rainforest elevational gradient on Mount Cameroon. Journal of Biogeography.
Przybylowicz L., Maicher V., László G.M., Sáfián Sz., Tropek R. (in press) Amerila (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) of Cameroon with morphological remarks on male and female genitalia. Zootaxa.
Maicher V., Sáfián Sz., Murkwe M., Przybylowicz L., Janeček Š., Fokam E.B., Pyrcz T., Tropek R. (2018) Flying between raindrops: Strong seasonal turnover of several Lepidoptera groups in lowland rainforests of Mount Cameroon. Ecology and Evolution 8: 12761-12772.
Ustjuzhanin P., Kovtunovich V., Sáfián Sz., Maicher V., Tropek R. (2018) A newly discovered biodiversity hotspot of many-plumed moths (Lepidoptera, Alucitidae) in the Mount Cameroon area: first report on species diversity, with description of nine new species. Zookeys 777: 119-319.
Ferenc M., Sedláček O., Tropek R., Albrecht T., Altman J., Dančák M., Doležal J., Janeček Š., Maicher V., Majeský Ľ., Motombi F.N., Murkwe M., Sáfián Sz., Svoboda M., Hořák D. (in press) Something is missing at the bottom: Importance of coastal rainforests for conservation of trees, birds and butterflies in the Mount Cameroon area. African Journal of Ecology.
Mertens J.E.J., Tropek R., Dzekashu F.F., Maicher V., Fokam E.B., Janeček Š. (2018) Communities of flower visitors of Uvariopsis dioica (Annonaceae) in lowland forests of Mt. Cameroon, with notes on its potential pollinators. African Journal of Ecology 56: 146-152.
Maicher V. , Sáfián Sz., Ishmeal K.N., Murkwe M., Kimbeng T.J., Janeček Š., Tropek R. (2016) Two genera and nineteen species of fruit-feeding erebid moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) recorded in Cameroon for the first time. Entomological News 126: 64-70.
Molet M., Maicher V., Peeters C. (2014) Bigger helpers in the ant Cataglyphis bombycina: increased worker polymorphism or novel soldier caste? PLoS ONE 9: e84929.