Alberto Valero Gracia

Doctoral Research Fellow - Comparative and Evolutionary Genomics

Norwegian version of this page

Email a.v.gracia@nhm.uio.no

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Visiting address Sars gate 1 Colletts hus 0318 Oslo

Postal address Postboks 1172 0316 Oslo

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Education

• M.Phil. in Evolutionary Developmental Biology. Open University of London (United Kingdom)

• Licenciado en Biología (long cycle degree leading to an academic title equivalent to B.Sc. plus M.Sc.). Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain)

Fellowships and Awards

• Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher, Neptune Initial Training Network (Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Italy)

• Robert Fernald scholarship to attend the Comparative Invertebrate Embryology course at Friday Harbour Laboratories (University of Washington, USA)

• Réseau d’Activité Scientifique André Picard mobility grant at Villefranche sur Mer Oceanological Observatory (Pierre et Marie Curie University, France)

• Erasmus-Leonardo scholarship, research stage at Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn. European Commission of Education and Training (Ministry of Education and Science, Spanish Government)

• Erasmus scholarship, academic year at the Sapienza University of Rome. European Commission of Education and Training (Ministry of Education and Science, Spanish Government)

• White Sea Biological Station fellowship to attend at the White Sea Biological Station (Lomonósov Moscow State University, Russia)

Tags: Evolution, Zoology, Phylogenomics, Developmental Biology, Bioinformatics, Genome Evolution.

• A. Valero-Gracia, N. G. Roberts, M. Yap-Chiongco, A. T. Capucho, K. M. Kocot, M. Matschiner, & T. H. Struck. (2024). First chromosome-level genome assembly of a ribbon worm from the Hoplonemertea clade, Emplectonema gracile, and its structural annotation. bioRxiv, 2024.02.16.580704; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.02.16.580704

• J. F. Fleming, A. Valero-Gracia, T. H. Struck (2023). Identifying and addressing Methodological Incongruence in Phylogenomics: A Review. Evolutionary Applications 16:1087–1104. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13565

• A. Minelli, A. Valero-Gracia (2022). Spatially and Temporally Distributed Complexity—A Refreshed Framework for the Study of GRN Evolution. Cells 11, 1790. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11111790

• A. Valero-Gracia (2019). Photoreception in Ambulacraria: A Comprehensive Approach. MPhil Thesis. The Open University.

• A. Valero-Gracia, L. Petrone, P. Oliveri, D-E. Nilsson, M. I. Arnone (2016). Non-directional photoreceptors in the pluteus of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 4: 127

• A. Valero-Gracia*, R. Marino*, F. Crocetta, V. Nittoli, S. Tiozzo, P. Sordino (2016). Comparative localization of 5HT serotonin receptors in Thaliacea informs tunicate phylogeny. Frontiers in Zoology 13: 45 (*equal contribution)

• S. D’Aniello*, J. Delroisse*, A. Valero-Gracia, E. K. Lowe, M. Byrne, J. T. Cannon, K. M. Halanych, M. R. Elphick, J. Mallefet, S. Kaul-Strehlow, C. J. Lowe, P. Flammang, J. Smith, E. Ullrich-Lüter, A. Wanninger, M. I. Arnone (2015). Opsin evolution in the Ambulacraria. Marine genomics 24, 177-183 (*equal contribution)

Fleming, James Frederick; Valero Gracia, Alberto & Struck, Torsten H (2023). Identifying and addressing methodological incongruence in phylogenomics: A review. Evolutionary Applications. ISSN 1752-4571. 16(6), p. 1087–1104. doi: 10.1111/eva.13565. Full text in Research Archive
Minelli, Alessandro & Valero Gracia, Alberto (2022). Spatially and Temporally Distributed Complexity—A Refreshed Framework for the Study of GRN Evolution. Cells. ISSN 2073-4409. 11(11), p. 1–16. doi: 10.3390/cells11111790. Full text in Research Archive

View all works in Cristin

Valero Gracia, Alberto (2023). Group of the month: Rotifera.
Valero Gracia, Alberto (2023). Door 5: A book (gift) recommendation .
Valero Gracia, Alberto (2023). Door 7: A note on the current importance of interdisciplinary approaches in Science.
Valero Gracia, Alberto (2023). Project interview by the Embassy of Spain in Norway. [Internet]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQgXlmvYDBY.
Bachmann, Lutz & Valero Gracia, Alberto (2022). Door 20: Graham Budd – one of the greatest paleontologists of our time.
Bachmann, Lutz & Valero Gracia, Alberto (2022). Door 18: Ancestors in Evolutionary Biology: Linear Thinking about Branching Trees.
Bachmann, Lutz & Valero Gracia, Alberto (2022). Door 8: GENESPACE tracks regions of interest and gene copy number variation across multiple genomesss multiple genomes.” Elife 11 (2022): e78526.
Valero Gracia, Alberto (2022). Gnathostomulida, an obscure and often neglected phylum.
Valero-Gracia, Alberto & Austin, Rita M (2021). Field Trip to Roscoff.
Valero-Gracia, Alberto & Struck, Torsten H (2021). "InverOmics", phylogeny and evolution of Spiralia based on genomic data: a first report.
Valero-Gracia, Alberto & Austin, Rita M (2021). Progresses and challenges during 2021.
Valero-Gracia, Alberto & Austin, Rita M (2021). Field Trip to Sylt.
Capucho, Ana Teresa; Berggren, Matz; Haugen, Marianne Nilsen; Stach, Thomas; Valero-Gracia, Alberto & von Döhren, Jörn [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2021). Assessing biodiversity in the marine algae belt. Show summary
The marine algae belt, more loosely interpreted, comprises kelp forests, seagrass meadows and rocky reefs with coralline red seaweeds. It is one of the most active primary producing environments in the sea and harbors a great diversity of animals including ascidians, nemerteans, entoprocts, serpulid worms, spionid worms and caprellids. The species of these groups occupy important ecological functions as herbivores, predators or filter feeding organisms and can be sessile or agile as well as solitary or colonial. Globally these taxa comprise more than 7,000 species with around 250 species documented from Norwegian waters. Despite this, the knowledge about their taxonomy and distribution in Norway is poor and in dire need of improvement. Specimens in museum collections are often quite old material, which additionally is often wrongly determined due to unresolved taxonomic issues including the high degree of cryptic species in these groups. Besides cryptic species, many of these taxa include invasive species causing high economic damage. This recently started project, funded by ArtsDatabanken, is focusing on the occurrence and habitat preferences of the above-mentioned taxa in the marine algae belt along the Norwegian coastline. Using both morphological and molecular methods, it aims to contribute to basic biosystematics, species distribution and nature conservation in groups that are still poorly understood and challenging to study. Fieldwork was conducted last summer in two locations: Oslofjord and Trondheim area. The Oslofjord sampling effort was carried out with the help of two students from the UiO:Life science project. First results include new records of species for both sampled locations and several high-quality barcodes (CO1 sequences) that will be uploaded to NorBOL. Revision of museum collections, species lists and popular and scientific papers will be prepared in the next months. We also hope for more exciting results following the DNA sequencing that will be carried out this autumn.
Haugen, Marianne Nilsen; Valero-Gracia, Alberto; Cerca, José; Austin, Rita M; Fleming, James F & Gusarov, Vladimir [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2020). Blog post "International Happy Seasons".
Haugen, Marianne Nilsen; Valero-Gracia, Alberto; Austin, Rita M; Struck, Torsten H & Bachmann, Lutz (2020). Blog post "Combining group fun with genomic research".
Valero-Gracia, Alberto; Struck, Torsten H & Bachmann, Lutz (2020). Blog post "A new PhD student in town".