Lunchtime Seminars

About

Seminars are open to Harvard faculty, postdocs, students, and staff. 

Seminars are held in MCZ 101A, Robert A. Gilbert Room, at 12:00 pm unless otherwise noted.

MCZ Lunchtime Seminar

September 28, 2026
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12:00PM - 1:00PM EDT
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MCZ 101A, Robert A. Gilbert Room

Evolution Under Antagonism: From Antiviral Immunity to Venom in Cnidarians

Yehu Moran
Professor
Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences 
Hebrew University of Jerusalem

a translucent marine invertebrate on a black background

MCZ Lunchtime Seminar

October 5, 2026
|
12:00PM - 1:00PM EDT
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MCZ 101A, Robert A. Gilbert Room

Innate Immune Memory: An Evolutionary Perspective

Joachim Kurtz
Professor
Animal Evolutionary Ecology Research Group
University of Munster, Germany

dark brown beetles on a sandy surface

MCZ Lunchtime Seminar

October 19, 2026
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12:00PM - 1:00PM EDT
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MCZ 101A, Robert A. Gilbert Room

Bernd Schierwater
Professor
Institute of Animal Ecology and Cell Biology
University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover

MCZ Lunchtime Seminar

October 26, 2026
|
12:00PM - 1:00PM EDT
|
MCZ 101A, Robert A. Gilbert Room

Putnam Expeditions: Unlocking the Australian Record of Earth’s Greatest Mass Extinction

Peter Bishop
Postdoctoral Fellow
S. Pierce Lab
Harvard University

a wide green valley with cliffs on each side

MCZ Lunchtime Seminar

November 16, 2026
|
12:00PM - 1:00PM EST
|
MCZ 101A, Robert A. Gilbert Room

‘Beyond-the-fence’: Restoring Australia’s remarkable mammals

Patrick Finnerty
Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholar
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of Sydney

a small spotted rodent on a bed of grass and leaves

MCZ Lunchtime Seminars

December 7, 2026
|
12:00PM - 1:00PM EST
|
MCZ 101A, Robert A. Gilbert Room

Severine Hex
Junior Fellow
Harvard Society of Fellows
Human Evolutionary Biology

Speaker Recruitment

MCZ postdocs recruit speakers for the series, from fellow MCZ postdocs and graduate students to faculty members visiting from other institutions; the Harvard community is treated to casual talks on a variety of topics. 

Postdoc organizers:

  • Peter Bishop present
  • Yangfan Zhang 2024-2026
  • Júlia Chaumel 2023-2024
  • Daren Card 2021-2023
  • Souvik Mandal 2019-2020
  • Chris Baker 2018-2019
  • Ligia Benavides 2016-2018
  • David Combosch 2015-2016
  • Rosario Castañeda 2014-2015