“Bench” biologist by trade,
“field” biologist by hobby,
and citizen of the Earth by birth.
I’m Dan, and I am a postdoc in the field of developmental cell biology at the University of Cyprus, a birdwatcher and a member of BirdLife Cyprus, as well as an American expat.
I became interested in molecular biology in high school, around the time that the Human Genome Project was being announced in 1993-94. And I became interested in nature by the example of my birdwatcher father and through the Boy Scouts, also in high school. Later, I became interested in cell migration through my graduate studies at Cornell University, where I worked in the areas of biochemistry and biotechnology, studying the molecular mechanisms of cellular locomotion in cell culture. And I also became interested in birds and conservation upon being enamored by the birdfeeder outside my window (See The Wonder of Birds).
Since graduate school, I moved to the small Mediterranean country of Cyprus with my wife, where we enjoy the travails of the academic world. Additionally, I have become a member of BirdLife Cyprus and go birdwatching whenever I can manage to get away for a few hours.
This weblog is a work-in-progress, a portfolio of my views and interests, a record of my modest birdwatching observations, and an expression for my concerns regarding society and the environment.
A note on languages: I’m still learning Greek, and still speak/write quite badly. I am taking classes, and as I progress in this regard, I plan to try posting in Greek as well as in English.
I also manage the email list Cyprus-Birding, have blogged at Bitesize Bio, can be found on Twitter, and can be reached at “Cellsnbirds” at gmail-dot-com,
