The Molecular Evolution and Biogeography Laboratory (MEVBIL) was established by Prof. Dr. Battal Çıplak within the Biology Department of the Faculty of Science at Akdeniz University. Its foundations were laid in 1995 with the establishment of the Akdeniz University Zoology Museum (AUZM). Over the past three decades, AUZM has likely accumulated the most extensive Orthoptera collection in Turkey.

In the early 2000s, AUZM underwent a conceptual transformation, shifting its focus toward DNA-based research in biodiversity, biogeography, and evolutionary biology. As part of this transformation, MEVBIL was founded as an independent but complementary unit alongside AUZM. By integrating molecular approaches, MEVBIL aims to elucidate the evolutionary history and distributional patterns of Anatolian biodiversity, with a particular emphasis on Orthoptera as a model group.

The scientific contributions of AUZM and MEVBIL are reflected in numerous publications in leading international journals, especially concerning the biogeography of Anatolia and the Western Palaearctic. MEVBIL’s growing reputation has attracted researchers from both national and international institutions. Visiting researchers include doctoral student Dirk Berger (Friedrich-Alexander University, Germany), Dr. Dragan P. Chobanov (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences), Dr. Mustapha Bounechada (Ferhat Abbas University, Algeria), and MSc student Abir Abed (University of Constantine 2, Algeria). Additionally, many graduate and doctoral students from across Turkey have benefited from MEVBIL’s expertise and infrastructure in support of their academic training and research.

MEVBIL has established collaborative partnerships with several prestigious international institutions, including:

Prof. Dr. Battal Çıplak, the founder and coordinator of MEVBIL, has played a pioneering role in integrating evolutionary biology into life sciences education in Turkey. Under his leadership, three key books—Evolutionary Analysis, Principles of Evolutionary Medicine, and Why We Get Sick—were translated into Turkish. The translation of Evolutionary Analysis was awarded the 2010 Translation Work Award by the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA).

In addition to its research and academic contributions, MEVBIL, in collaboration with AUZM, organizes the Taxonomy Summer School—an advanced workshop series designed for graduate students and early-career researchers with an interest in taxonomy, systematics, and evolutionary biology.