Darius K•••

About

On the record

Dr Darius K••• is a Senior Researcher at the Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy. In 2015, he defended his doctoral dissertation titled “Genetic Structure and Diversity of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) Populations in Lithuania.” His research interests span forest conservation genetics, evolutionary ecology, global change ecology, biogeography, population and landscape genetics, forest genetic resource management and conservation, adaptation of forest tree populations, and forest genetic monitoring. He is also committed to applied forest genetic research, including the traceability of forest reproductive material using DNA markers, bridging fundamental research with practical applications for forestry professionals. He strives to integrate historical biogeography, contemporary knowledge of tree demography, and evolutionary approaches with ecological challenges such as climate change. Understanding how tree species migrate, adapt, and speciate under accelerated environmental changes is crucial, as these processes shape the spatial and temporal distribution of genetic diversity. From 2015 to 2023, he worked as a researcher at the Bavarian Office for Forest Genetics (AWG) in Teisendorf, Germany. As part of the LIFEGENMON project, he and his colleagues developed and implemented forest genetic monitoring protocols, publishing a comprehensive manual and guidelines translated into several languages (e.g, German, Greek, Slovenian). His research findings have been presented at more than 45 international conferences, including the XXV IUFRO World Congress (2019, Brazil), the IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress (Germany), and the IUFRO World Congress (Stockholm, Sweden). His work has been published in high-ranking international journals, with 18 papers indexed in the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science database. He has undertaken research apprenticeships in Sweden, Germany, and Austria and has participated in various courses and summer schools in Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Austria. Dr K••• is a member of Lithuania’s expert group on forest genetic resources, seed production, and reforestation under the Ministry of Environment; a deputy member of IUFRO Unit 2.04.12 (Forest Genetic Monitoring); a Steering Committee member and Lithuania’s representative in EUFORGEN (European Forest Genetic Resources Programme); and, since 2022, a member of the Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.