People behind the project

Team

A small core field team working closely with key collaborators in the Dominican Republic and a wider international network of taxonomic specialists.

Core project team

Fieldwork, coordination and scientific development

Scientific lead · Project coordinator · Entomologist

Dr. Jiří Hodeček

Scientifically responsible for the EntomoDR project, with institutional support from Naturéum. He holds a PhD in entomology from the University of Ostrava and currently works as a forensic entomologist at the forensic entomology section of SHIFT/CURML.

He is affiliated with Naturéum, where the project is anchored, and coordinates the expeditions, permits, scientific collaborations, taxonomy, publications and public communication.

ORCID →

Scientific responsibilityProject coordinationFieldworkTaxonomyPublications

Technical field lead · Coleoptera

Jiří Pirkl

The technical half of the expeditions. An electrician by profession and a long-term field collaborator, he supports field logistics, lighting systems, equipment maintenance and practical problem-solving under difficult field conditions.

He is also a Prioninae enthusiast and the author of Prioninae of the World.

Field logisticsTechnical supportTaxonomyFieldwork

Dominican Republic collaborators

Local scientific and institutional collaboration

Key local scientific collaborator · MNHNSD

Gabriel de los Santos

Curator of arachnids at the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Prof. Eugenio de Jesús Marcano. He has been central to local coordination, institutional collaboration and the permitting process, and is named in the DNA/barcoding agreement.

Scientific and conservation collaborator · INTEC / Grupo Jaragua

Prof. Yolanda M. León

Provides local scientific and conservation expertise through the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo and Grupo Jaragua, supporting the project with knowledge of Dominican biodiversity, habitats and protected areas.

Institutional support

Museum backing for the project

Director of Naturéum · Institutional support

Prof. Nadir Alvarez

As director of Naturéum, Prof. Nadir Alvarez supports the project through the museum and helps provide the institutional framework needed for its scientific and collection-based work.

International expert network

Specialists across many insect groups

Dozens of taxonomic experts contribute identifications, revisions and publications. Rather than repeating the complete list here, the full collaboration map remains on the Project page.

Target groups and collaborators