Debrecen4U
September 2, 2026
University of Debrecen Lecturer Receives Government Award in Mongolia
Gábor Sramkó, Assistant Lecturer at the Faculty of Science and Technology, has received an extraordinary international honour: the Mongolian Ministry of Education has awarded him the state distinction of Outstanding Educator in recognition of his work in developing Mongolian-Hungarian relations and contributing to education in Mongolia. The biologist and researcher, whose work focuses on the genetic conservation of endangered plant and animal species, has received the highest professional distinction, which is awarded to foreign nationals only in exceptional circumstances.
Gábor Sramkó is an evolutionary geneticist and an Assistant Lecturer at the Department of Botany of the Institute of Biology and Ecology at the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Debrecen. His research focuses on molecular phylogenetics and phylogenomics, as well as reconstructing and conserving the evolutionary history of plant and animal species, unideb.hu reported. Together with his research group, he has been conducting research in Mongolia since 2022 through a scientific mobility scholarship programme. Alongside joint evolutionary genomic studies, considerable emphasis is placed on training local colleagues.
“At the request of our Mongolian partners, in addition to our joint evolutionary genomic research, we have also regularly held workshop-style training sessions for them. Together with my colleagues, we have always shared our knowledge with humility and treated our partners as equals. As this award is very rarely given to foreign nationals, I believe the recognition is a tribute to this direct and dedicated professional cooperation,” said Gábor Sramkó.
As a biologist and ecologist, the researcher specialises in evolutionary genetics, that is, deciphering the information encoded in DNA. Studying micro-scale evolutionary processes directly supports the conservation management of endangered species. In Mongolia, among other things, the team has clarified the taxonomic position of a rare pasqueflower species, while their most iconic target species is the Mongolian saiga (saiga antelope), whose genetic structure they are investigating together with a Mongolian PhD student studying at the University of Debrecen.
“Our aim is to gain a better understanding of the microevolutionary dynamics of the saiga population currently living in Mongolia, estimated at around 15,000 individuals, and to provide Mongolian conservation authorities with information that will enable them to plan more effective protection measures for this highly important species,” the Assistant Lecturer emphasised.
In recent years, the research methodology has shifted from analysing individual DNA sequences towards studying the entire genetic material, or genome. In the case of the saiga, the team is currently working on producing a reference genome, which will make it possible to map local adaptation and genetic diversity within populations.
“Our clear long-term and strategic goal is to establish and promote genome-wide approaches to the study of wild, non-model organisms as widely as possible, both in Hungary and among our international partners,” the researcher added.
Source: dehir.hu | Photo credit: Debrecen városa (Facebook)
