MSc Martin Gschwind

I am a zoologist with broad interests in biology and ecology. After an apprenticeship as a carpenter and a few years of work, I caught up on my Swiss school-leaving certificate in order to realize my childhood dream of becoming an animal researcher.

I completed my studies in Basel with a research stay in Cuxhaven for my master's thesis in environmental toxicology and marine biology. During and after my studies, in addition to some laboratory work, I was able to gain a lot of experience in field work with different groups of animals and ecosystems, e.g. marine fish in the North and Baltic Seas, cichlids in Lake Tanganyika and in crater lakes in Nicaragua, all kinds of savannah dwellers in the Balule nature reserve, bats in the rainforest and reef fish around Lizard Island in Australia.

Now I am active in vector control and research. My current position at the Swiss TPH as a research assistant mainly involves monitoring the tiger mosquito in Switzerland, specifically the planning and implementation of some cantonal and federal monitoring programs. This enables us to determine where tiger mosquitoes exist, how populations and distribution areas change and whether control is effective.