My Wilderness Guide work

Me and my students and co-workers study biodiversity, ecology, evolution and biogeography in South and Middle America using fish (focusing on cichlids) as our model group. Phylogenetic analyses form the backbone of our research. New species are routinely being discovered and described. The department’s laboratory is fully equipped for the up-to-date phylogenomic methods based on NGS technologies, like ddRAD sequencing.

Download CV

My Wilderness Guide work

The River is My Laboratory

Twenty-four years

Thirty-three expeditions

Whole continents explored

The Leader’s Creed

I am a field-oriented person and working in Nature is essential for me. For a true naturalist, the laboratory is not a room—it is a continent. My career is built on the conviction that the greatest discoveries are made where the map ends. When I lead an expedition, I am not just a scientist; I am a Wilderness Guide. These roles are inseparable. To understand the evolution of a continent of rivers, you must first respect the river. You must know how to navigate its rapids, respect its inhabitants, and survive its storms.

Given my extensive experience gained during more than two decades of field research in very remote and challenging places I have also started doing Guided Wilderness expeditions. I thus organize or co-organize publicly accessible expeditions into really wild and ideally pristine reaches of our planet both with friends as well as for clients. The expeditions cover a wide range of goals. Some are dedicated to continuing my discoveries of Neotropical fish diversity, others are purely for pleasure, adventure and nature observation. If you are interested in joining one or the other type of expedition, get in contact with me.

Operational Sovereignty

Expedition Record (2002–2026):

33 Major Expeditions across 13 Neotropical countries.
Specialized Theaters: Expert-level navigation in the Amazon, Choco, Andes, Atlantic rainforest (Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Brazil), and the remote river systems of Middle America.
Indigenous Collaboration: Decades of experience coordinating logistics with local groups, including the Waorani (Ecuador).

Core Skills:

Technical Navigation: Specialized in trackless headwaters, wildreness packrafting, and remote jungle logistics.
Risk Management: A 24-year unblemished safety record in high-complexity environments.
Biological Interpretation: I provide a "Deep Time" narrative of the landscape and biota evolution.

See My Full Expedition & Research Record in my CV (under My Research)

The "Discovery-Led" Advantage

Why Expedition with a Systematic Ichthyologist? Most guides show you the scenery; I show you the Science of Discovery. My expeditions are often the birthplace of new taxa. To date, my field research has led to the discovery of 11 new genera and 20+ new species (plus many more discoveries awaiting formal description). When you join an expedition, you are not a tourist—you are a witness to active exploration and the detective story of deciphering the history of a continent.

Upcoming Expeditions (2026)

(see next page)

I am currently accepting applications for scientific collaborators and adventurous clients for my 2026 Field Season:

August/September: The Waorani Expedition (Ecuadorian Amazonia).
November/December: The Otorongo Expedition (Peruvian Amazonia).

Many of my trips and expeditions are co-organized with my friend Dominik Szmajda.

Check out his site and Youtube.