Testate amoebae have important functional roles in the ecosystem, also they are considered as one of the most important unicellular eukaryotes bioindicators to monitor a wide range of current and past environmental changes (e.g palaeoecology). However, the phylogenetic and the evolutionary relationship of testate amoebae still not clear and their taxonomy based mainly on the morphological characters.

My research work covers two potential investigations:

• The first is to improve the taxonomic frame and phylogenetic relationships of Arcellinid testate amoebae at intergeneric and interspecific level by adding new SSU rRNA sequences of hitherto unclassified taxa.
• The second task is to explore and compare the co-evolutionary relationships between the mixotrophic testate amoebae e.g (Hyalosphenia papilio) and their Chlorophyte endosymbiont (Trebouxiophyceae). This approach will contribute at understanding the nature of the relationship between the host and endosymbiont by providing parallel phylogenetic lineages of the endosymbiont and the host's cell.

Academic Education

2009 - 2012

PhD student University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, Institute of Biology.

2005 - 2008

Master degree in Zoology (Parasitology and Immunology), faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

1999 - 2003

BSc in Biology, faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

Publication record

Gomaa Fatma, Todorov M, Heger TJ, Mitchell EAD, Lara E. 2012. SSU rRNA Phylogeny of Arcellinida (Amoebozoa) Reveals that the Largest Arcellinid Genus, Difflugia Leclerc 1815, is not Monophyletic. Protist 163: 389-399.