Menelia Vasilopoulou Kampitsi is an illustrator and a doctor in biology
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After her academic studies in biology of organisms and ecology conducted between Greece and France, Menelia continued in academia, performing a doctorate in functional ecology in Belgium. During her doctorate, she realised how important illustration was in order to explain her research to the scientific or general public. Towards the end of her PhD, she had the opportunity to follow a scientific illustration course in Spain, her first official step towards scientific illustration.
As a freelance illustrator, she has been working since 2020 on various projects with PhD students, veterinarians and researchers. Her illustrations are published in renowned books and scientific journals. Her collaborations include the CNRS, the University of Antwerp and the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN) of Paris.
COLLABORATIONS
2016-2020 PhD
- Manoeuvrability and inner ear anatomy of lacertid lizards: an Ecological approach. Funcional morphology lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp.
- Introduction to the art of science: scientific illustration (2019). Transmitting science.
2012 Bachelor in Science
- Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Crete, Greece
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Education
2016-2020 PhD
- Manoeuvrability and inner ear anatomy of lacertid lizards: an Ecological approach. Funcional morphology lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp.
2019
- Introduction to the art of science: scientific illustration (2019). Transmitting science.
2015 Master's in Science
- “Sciences of the Universe, Environment, Ecology” (SDUEE); Ecology, Biodiversity, Evolution (EBE), UPMC, Paris, France.
2012 Bachelor in Science
- Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Crete, Greece
Publications
Journal Cover:
Journal of Anatomy, issue of July 2019 (Volume 235).
Illustrations in:
- Druelle, F., Abourachid, A., Vasilopoulou-Kampitsi, M., Aerts, P. (2023). Convergence of Bipedal Locomotion: Why Walk or Run on Only Two Legs. In: Bels, V.L., Russell, A.P. (eds) Convergent Evolution. Fascinating Life Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11441-0_14
- Masson S., Bleuer-Elsner S., Muller G., Médam T., (2023). Psychiatrie vétérinaire du chien. NoLedge Editions.
- Baeckens S. (2019). Evolution of animal chemical communication: Insights from non-model species and phylogenetic comparative methods. Belgian Journal of Zoology. 149, 63–93.
- Druelle, F., Berthet, M. & Quintard, B. (2019). The body center of mass in primates: Is it more caudal than in other quadrupedal mammals? Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 169, 170–178.
- Druelle, F., Goyens, J., Vasilopoulou-Kampitsi, M. & Aerts, P (2019). Small vertebrates running on uneven terrain: a biomechanical study of two differently specialized lacertid lizards. Scientific Reports. 9, 16858.
- Vasilopoulou-Kampitsi, M., Goyens, J., Van Damme, R. & Aerts, P. (2019). The ecological signal on the shape of the lacertid vestibular system : simple versus complex microhabitats. Biological Journal of the Linneaen. Socieaty. 127, 260-277.
- Vasilopoulou-Kampitsi, M., Goyens, J., Van Damme, R. & Aerts, P. (2019). Habitat use and vestibular system’s dimensions in lacertid lizards. Journal of Anatomy. 235, 1–14.
- Sebastiano M. (2018). Stress and herpes infections in the frigate bird Fregata magnificens, an experimental physiological approach. PhD thesis. Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp.
PhD thesis cover:
- Thys, B. 2021. Integrating female competition within a multivariate and life history framework. Behavioural Ecology & Ecophysiology, University of Antwerp.
- Vasilopoulou-Kampitsi M. 2020. Manoeuvrability and the anatomy of the inner ear in lacertid lizards. Functional Morphology, University of Antwerp.
- Perrone. F, 2019. Contribution of rare genetic variants to the complex etiology of neurodegenerative brain diseases. VIB Center for Molecular Neurology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, Biomedical sciences, University of Antwerp.
