Ph.D. in Natural Sciences
Thesis: "Ecology and evolution of the invasive spider Mermessus trilobatus in Europe." Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Martin Entling
Research
I investigate the behavioural ecology and evolutionary dynamics of invasive species and agricultural pests using integrative approaches spanning genomics, chemical ecology, trait manipulation and experimental evolution. My research addresses fundamental questions about dispersal behaviour, reproduction, insecticide resistance evolution, and predator–prey interactions, including insights relevant to pest management. Current work focuses on how selection pressures shape life-history traits and host plant adaptation in the Colorado potato beetle. Future research will explore the role of microbiomes and molecular mechanisms in mediating resistance evolution and invasion success.
Education
M.Sc. Environmental Sciences
Thesis: "Effects of personality and chemical cues on non-consumptive effects of ants on spiders."
B.Sc. Ecology
Secondary School Education
Academic Positions
- Principal Investigator / Postdoctoral Researcher (Jan 2027 – Jan 2030) — Department of Biogeography, Trier University, Germany
- Postdoctoral Researcher (June 2022 – Dec 2026) — Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
- Guest Researcher (Apr 2024 – Sep 2026) — Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena
- Scientific Assistant (Apr 2019 – May 2022) — Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU
- Intern (Oct 2018 – Dec 2018) — Department of Behavioral Ecology, LMU Munich
- Student Assistant (Nov 2017 – Mar 2018) — Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU
Research Funding
DFG Research Grant — Principal Investigator
"Genetic architecture of an invasion (GAI): Identifying genomic regions associated with high dispersal and fecundity in an invasive spider."
Publications
First-Author Publications
- Nariman N, Entling MH, Krehenwinkel H & Kennedy S (2025) The microbiome of an invasive spider: Reduced bacterial richness, but no indication of microbial-mediated dispersal behaviour. Microbial Ecology, 88: 70. DOI
- Narimanov N, Heuschele J, Entling MH, Menzel F & Mestre L (2024) Differential effects of ephemeral and stable predator chemical cues on spider antipredator behaviour. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 50: 714–724. DOI
- Narimanov N, Bauer T, Bonte D & Entling MH (2022) Accelerated invasion through the evolution of dispersal behaviour. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 31: 2423–2436. DOI
- Narimanov N, Bonte D & Entling MH (2022) Heritability of dispersal in a rapidly spreading invasive spider. Animal Behaviour, 183: 93–101. [Editors' Choice] DOI
- Narimanov N, Bonte D, Mason P, Mestre L & Entling MH (2021) Disentangling the roles of electric fields and wind in spider dispersal experiments. Journal of Arachnology, 49: 380–383. DOI
- Narimanov N, Hatamli K & Entling MH (2021) Prey naïveté rather than enemy release dominates the relation of an invasive spider toward a native predator. Ecology and Evolution, 11: 11200–11206. DOI
- Narimanov N, Kempel A, Van Kleunen M & Entling MH (2021) Unexpected sensitivity of the highly invasive spider Mermessus trilobatus to soil disturbance in grasslands. Biological Invasions, 23: 1–6. DOI
Co-Authored Publications
- Edison A, Nariman N, Duchen P & Xu S (2025) Bulk Segregant Analysis reveals genomic regions associated with imidacloprid resistance in the Colorado potato beetle. Ecology and Evolution, 15: e72527. DOI
- Rech F, Narimanov N, Bauer T & Schirmel J (2022) Urbanization increases fluctuating asymmetry and affects behavioral traits of a common grasshopper. Ecology and Evolution, 12: e9658. DOI
- Mestre L, Narimanov N, Menzel F & Entling MH (2020) Non-consumptive effects between predators depend on the foraging mode of intraguild prey. Journal of Animal Ecology, 89: 1690–1700. DOI
Peer Review Service
Ad hoc reviewer (2021–present) for 15+ international journals across ecology and evolution.
Teaching & Mentoring
- Course Instructor: "Organisms & Their Environment" and "Research Methods in Ecology" — University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU; 2022)
- Co-supervised 20+ students since 2017, including 2 PhD, 6 Master's, and 3 Bachelor's theses
Contact
Email: nijat.nariman@gmail.com
Location: Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany