Profile
Prof Dr Bernhard Misof has been Director General of the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change since 2021 and Professor of Special Zoology at the University of Bonn since 2020.
His research has focused on evolutionary biodiversity research with a particular emphasis on phylogenomic analyses, the evolution of arthropods and the reconstruction of the evolutionary history of complex groups of organisms. As Director General of the LIB, he is concerned with questions of museum development and transdisciplinary approaches. He is particularly interested in the interaction between the individual research and work areas of the LIB in order to create a socially relevant and effective institution.
After completing his studies and doctorate at the University of Vienna and his habilitation at the University of Bonn, Prof Misof held various international research and management positions, including research stays at Yale University and management positions in Bonn and Hamburg.
In addition to his scientific activities, Prof Misof is involved in numerous national and international scientific committees. Since the end of 2025, he has been the deputy spokesperson for Section C "Life Sciences" of the Leibniz Association.
Projects
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Unknown Germany
Management: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof, Dr. Ralph S. Peters
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Genomics technology for the Caucasus
Management: Dr. Jonas Astrin
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Hybrid swarm evolution in minnows
Management: Dr. Madlen Stange
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Museum Koenig #digital
Management: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof, Dipl. Biol. Hae-Yon Weon-Kettenhofen, Dr. Thomas Gerken
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CaBOL - Caucasus Barcode of Life
Management: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof
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FOGS
Management: Dr. Jonas Astrin
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1KITE
Management: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof
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GGBC
Management: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof
Publications
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2026/04
Phylogenomics illuminates the complex evolutionary history of Bibionomorpha (Diptera)
Systematic Entomology, 2, 51
2026/03
Climate-Correlated Phenotypes in Caucasian Rock Lizards (Squamata: Lacertidae)
Herpetologica, 1, 82
2026/02
Genome and transcriptome‐based identification and expression profiling of chemosensory gene families across developmental stages and tissues in Sirex noctilio (Hymenoptera: Siricidae)
Insect Molecular Biology
2025/11
Unknown Germany - An integrative biodiversity discovery program
npj Biodiversity, 1, 4
2025/02
Molecular evolution of dietary shifts in ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae): from fungivory to carnivory and herbivory
BMC Biology, 1, 23
2025/01
FOGS: A SNPSTR Marker Database to Combat Wildlife Trafficking and a Cell Culture Bank for Ex‐Situ Conservation
Molecular Ecology resources
2024/07
Discriminating woody species assemblages from National Forest Inventory data based on phylogeny in Georgia
Ecology and Evolution, 7, 14
2024/07
Phylogenomics recovers multiple origins of portable case making in caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera), nature’s underwater architects
Proceedings - Royal Society. Biological sciences/Proceedings - Royal Society. Biological Sciences, 2026, 291
2024/06
Joint detection of microsatellites and flanking sequences–SNPSTR markers for Athene noctua to fight illegal wildlife trade
Forensic Science International Animals and Environments, 5
2024/02
Arthropod diversity in the alpine tundra using metabarcoding: Spatial and temporal differences in alpha‐ and beta‐diversity
Ecology and Evolution, 2, 14
2023/12
Geographic Variation in Genomic Signals of Admixture Between Two Closely Related European Sepsid Fly Species
Evolutionary Biology, 4, 50
2023/12
Metazoa‐level USCOs as markers in species delimitation and classification
Molecular Ecology resources, 3, 24
2023/11
Die Bibliothek des biologischen, technischen und kulturellen Wissens – Warum brauchen wir eine integrierte Sammlungsinfrastruktur?
BIBLIOTHEK Forschung und Praxis, 3, 47
2023/10
A landmark‐free analysis of the pelvic girdle in Sulawesi ricefishes (Adrianichthyidae): How 2D and 3D geometric morphometrics can complement each other in the analysis of a complex structure
Ecology and Evolution, 10, 13
2023/02
Standardized nuclear markers improve and homogenize species delimitation in Metazoa
Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 2, 14
2021/12
Complex sexually dimorphic traits shape the parallel evolution of a novel reproductive strategy in Sulawesi ricefishes (Adrianichthyidae)
BMC ecology and evolution, 21
2020/11
Author Correction: Phylogenomic analysis sheds light on the evolutionary pathways towards acoustic communication in Orthoptera
Nature communications, 1, 11
2020/11
Are fleas highly modified Mecoptera? Phylogenomic resolution of Antliophora (Insecta: Holometabola)
2020/10
Correction to: An integrative phylogenomic approach to elucidate the evolutionary history and divergence times of Neuropterida (Insecta: Holometabola)
BMC evolutionary biology, 1, 20
2020/07
How old are dragonflies and damselflies? Odonata (Insecta) transcriptomics resolve familial relationships
2020/01
Phylogenomics changes our understanding about earwig evolution
Systematic entomology, 3, 45
2018/00
The genomic basis of arthropod diversity
2017/01
A posteriori evaluation of molecular divergence dates using empirical estimates of time-heterogeneous fossilization rates
bioRxiv
2012/11
Automated Masking of AFLP Markers Improves Reliability of Phylogenetic Analyses
PloS one, 11, 7
2012/06
Oligonucleotide primers for targeted amplification of single-copy nuclear genes in apocritan Hymenoptera
PloS one, 6, 7
2012/02
Phylogeography of the burnet moth Zygaena transalpina complex: molecular and morphometric differentiation suggests glacial refugia in Southern France, Western …
Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 1, 50
2008/09
Gene flow at the margin of Lake Matano’s adaptive sailfin silverside radiation: Telmatherinidae of River Petea in Sulawesi
Hydrobiologia, 205