Ad Konings

Ad Konings (full name - Adrianus Franciscus Johannes Marinus Maria Konings) (born 11 January 1956 in Roosendaal, Netherlands) is an ichthyologist originally trained in medicine and biology. Konings is best known for his research on African rift lake cichlids. After studies in Amsterdam, he has spent most of his life in Rotterdam.

Early life

Konings started keeping cichlids when he was 14 years old in 1970. Soon he was breeding rare African cichlids and working as an assistant to the largest tropical fish dealer in the Netherlands.

Academic studies and early career

From 1974-1980 he studied medical biology at the University of Amsterdam and was awarded his Ph.D. in 1980. He chose this field despite his love of ichthyology due to a fear that if he chose the latter field he would be unemployable. From 1980-1986. he did research on lysosomal enzymes at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. Most of this was DNA-related work (molecular biology).

In 1986, Konings moved to St. Leon-Rot, Germany (near Heidelberg), where he started to write books and breed Lake Tanganyika cichlids. He also worked for 18 months at the University of Heidelberg Parasitology Department.