My main research interests lie in the areas of systematics and molecular evolution of tropical and high-mountain lichen-forming fungi and their fungal parasites. In my current studies I focus on evolution processes, molecular phylogeny and taxonomy of largely unexplored obligately lichenicolous fungi (lichen parasites) in the tropical Andes, one of the global centers of biodiversity and endemism. I obtained my MSc at the Opole University (2003) and Ph.D. at the W. Szafer Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences (2008) in Poland. Currently, I am a research scientist at the W. Szafer Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow. For more information see: http://botany.pl/images/who_en/flakus.htm