M.Sc. Eter Magradze, a Ph.D. student at the Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science P. J. Šafárik University in Košicereceived the Prof. William F. Humphreys Award for the best doctoral student poster at the 27th International Conference on Subterranean Biology, held September 7–12, 2026, in Mangalia, Romania.
At this event, Eter Magradze presented a poster titled “Maghradze, E., Faille, A., Kováč, Ľ.: Diversity and distribution of cave Trechini (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in Georgia, the Caucasus.” During her studies, under the supervision of her advisor, prof. Kováča and her consultant, Dr. A. Failleho (Natural History Museum, Stuttgart) she is focusing on analyzing the diversity, distribution, and evolution of cave beetles of the Trechini group in Georgia. This region is part of the Caucasus Mountains, one of the global “hot spots” of cave biota biodiversity. The doctoral student is also addressing issues related to the threats to biodiversity in accessible caves, which are affected by excessive visitor traffic. Her findings are directly applicable to the conservation management of these caves.
The award was presented to the doctoral student in person by Dr. Traian Brad, president of the International Society for Subterranean Biology. The conference was attended by more than 120 experts from over 20 countries around the world.
