Chahinez Bouguerche

Researcher

Zoology

She unveils the hidden narratives of fish parasites, illuminating the delicate balance of ecosystems beneath the surface

A taxonomist on a mission, armed with tiny tweezers, enthusiasm, and a penchant for the peculiar, Chahinez plunges into the depths to decode the cryptic world of fish parasites. With a plethora of underwater anecdotes to reel you in, she aims to demonstrate that even the tiniest hitchhikers can make a big splash in the fishy realm!

Journey to collections

Chahinez Bouguerche, a parasitologist and zoologist, is a researcher at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, Sweden, and a specialist in the systematics of fish parasitic flatworms.

Chahinez graduated from the Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene in Algeria, in collaboration with the National Museum of Natural History (Paris), France, where she was trained in studying interspecific vs. intraspecific variations in parasitic flatworms under the supervision of Jean-Lou Justine.

After her Ph.D., Chahinez worked as a mobility researcher at the National Museum of Natural History (Paris), then as a visiting researcher at Ocean Space in Venice, Italy, before finally landing at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm.

In Sweden, she worked on the systematics of intestinal parasites, the Trematodes, and is currently exploring the second group of parasitic flatworms: the gill parasites, also known as Polyopisthocotylea and Monopisthocotylea.

Research

Chahinez discovered her enthusiasm for taxonomy and museum collections when she was a trainee at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France. Today, she’s making her dream come true by studying the collections of one of the most eminent zoologists, Theodor Odhner. She frequently digitizes illustrations from museum archives using a drawing tablet, transforms them into modern illustrations, and uses museum specimens in her systematics studies.

One of her most enthusiastic results is describing a new species of flatworm, depicted after an acute comparison with specimens from the invertebrates’ collections. The species was named after her favorite band, the Swedish pop group ABBA, to mark the 50 years since that magical night in Brighton, when ABBA won the Eurovision song contest!

Life beyond the museum

Chahinez is fascinated by the wildlife in Sweden. Her favorite activity is taking long walks in the woods to “greet” deer, foxes, and sneak a peek at the wild boars!