Profile
Areas of responsibility
Since January 2019 I am responsible for various science reporting obligations, panel work and the coordination of the LIB PhD Program.
Between May 2014 and Dec 2018 I coordinated the German Barcode of Life project (GBOL) as successor of Dr. Stephanie Pietsch. Before that I worked as postdoctoral researcher in the Leibniz SAW FREDIE (FREshwater Diversity Identification for Europe) project with Fabian Herder. This project was aimed at setting up - and critically testing - a voucher-based DNA barcoding reference system for virtually all species of European freshwater fish, mollusks and mayflies, from Portugal to the Ural. My special focus is on freshwater fish evolution and diversity. Please visit the GBOL & FREDIE sites for details, partners, pictures and progress. Before I came to ZFMK/LIB Bonn, I worked on phylogenetic and evolutionary relationships of Nicaraguan Midas cichlids (Amphilophus spp.), on fish taxonomy, and have been involved in the DNA Bank Network and different DNA Barcoding projects.
Research interests
Science management, transfer, project coordination, science-policy interactions, DNA barcoding and biodiversity, European freshwater fishes, cichlids and plecos, speciation, hybridization, systematics and taxonomy, biogeography, population genetics, morphology
Presentations (selection)
III. 2018: Vortrag „DNA Barcoding & Metabarcoding - Chancen und Grenzen für Monitoring und Naturschutz“ im Plenum des LANUV Abt.2 in Recklinghausen.
III. 2018: Vortrag & Workshop zu „DNA Barcoding & Metabarcoding - Chancen und Grenzen für Monitoring und Naturschutz“ an der NUA, Flintbek.
II. 2018: GBOL-Vortrag an der Universität Münster auf einer NABU-Tagung zum Thema “Insektenrückgang”.
XI. 2017: 7th International Barcode of Life Conference (iBOL6) in Skukuza, Südafrika: “Testing the Global Malaise Trap Program – How well does the current barcode reference library identify flying insects in Germany?”.
X. 2017: Vortrag beim LANUV, Abt.5 in Düsseldorf, Dezernentensitzung: „DNA-Barcoding !? Chancen und Grenzen – Heute“.
IX. 2017: Vortrag und Workshop an der Dr. Hans Riegel-Akademie 2017 in Köln: „Biodiversitätsverluste – Kenntnisstand und Handlungsoptionen - Warum und wie das 'German Barcode of Life' Projekt die genetischen Fingerabdrücke der deutschen Artenvielfalt erfasst“.
III. 2017: Vortrag „Overview on the German DNA barcoding initiatives and status of reference libraries for aquatic taxa”. Kick-Off der EU COST action DNAqua-Net.
III. 2017: GBOL-Vortrag auf der Jahresversammlung der Sieg Fischereigenossenschaft.
III. 2017: GBOL-Vortrag & Führung für eine Delegation des LANUV.
III. 2017: Vortrag „DNA-Barcoding in Deutschland und im europäischen Kontext – wer liefert die Referenzdaten?“ Symposium am ZFMK: DNA-Barcoding in der Praxis.
X. 2016: BfN Tagung „Biodiversität und Klima - Vernetzung der Akteure in Deutschland XIII“, Vilm: “German Barcode of Life - wie GBOL einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Erfassung der tatsächlichen Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf die Biodiversität leisten kann“.
VII. 2016: Konferenz der Arten (Von Leibniz & ZFMK organisierte Veranstaltung zur Vernetzung von Akteuren im Bereich Biodiversitätsforschung), Berlin: Präsentation, Symposium und Open Air Salon.
VI. 2016: GEO Tag der Artenvielfalt 2016, Burg Wissem: „Jede Art zählt! Inventarisierung und genetische Charakterisierung der Tiere, Pflanzen und Pilze Deutschlands.“ Präsentation and Podiumsdiskussion.
X. 2015: Gastredner in Berlin auf der “IUBS 2015 – Frontiers in Unified Biology” Tagung (32rd International Union of Biological Sciences General Assembly and Conference): “Engaging citizens in the inventory and DNA barcoding of fauna and flora – Experiences from the German Barcode of Life Project”.
XI. 2015: Gastredner auf dem ZSM-Infotag zu Nutzungsmöglichkeiten des DNA-Barcodings: “DNA Barcoding im gesamtdeutschen bzw europäischen Kontext”.
VIII. 2015: 6th International Barcode of Life Conference (iBOL6) in Guelph, Kanada: “The FREDIE project – different lessons from a large-scale DNA barcoding campaign”.
III. 2015: GfBS Tagung in Bonn am ZFMK: “Germany's freshwater fishes assessed by DNA barcoding - implications for natural resource management”.
X. 2014: Gastredner auf dem NRM Fishbase 2014 Symposium in Stockholm, Schweden.
I.2014: NHV Wintertagung 2013/14am ZFMK, Bonn: „Die aquatische Fauna des Mittelrheintals“
I.2014: GBOL1 Workshop am ZFMK, Bonn: “DNA-Barcoding der westpaläarktischen Fischfauna - überraschende Ergebnisse auch aus Deutschland“
X. 2013: 5th International Barcode of Life Conference (IBOL5) in Kunming, China: “A Review of the Freshwater Fish Diversity in the Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot using DNA Barcoding”.
IX. 2013: 10. Tagung der Gesellschaft für Ichthyologie (GfI) in Bonn am ZFMK: “A Review of the Freshwater Fish Diversity in the Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot using DNA Barcoding”.
II. 2013: BioSyst.EU 2013 Global Systematics in Wien, Österreich: “Introducing the FREDIE project with notes on the Mediterranean diversity hot-spot”.
XII. 2012: Gastredner bei SWISSBOL in Bern, Schweiz: “Lessons from a large-scale European DNA Barcoding initiative“.
IX. 2012: ECBOL3 in Brüssel, Belgien: “Introducing the FREDIE project with notes on the Mediterranean diversity hot-spot”.
VII. 2012: IVX ECI in Liège, Belgien: “Introducing the FREDIE project with notes on the Mediterranean diversity hot-spot”.
VI. 2012: FISHBOL in Yeosu, Korea: “Introducing the FREDIE project with notes on the Mediterranean diversity hot-spot”.
V. 2012: ECFF in Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal: “Introducing the FREDIE project, Freshwater Diversity Identification for Europe”.
II.2012: GfBS Tagung in Bonn: “Molecular Ecology of the Crater Lake Apoyo Midas cichlid species flock”.
II.2012: Poster GfBS in Bonn: “FREDIE – Freshwater Diversity Identification for Europe”.
IX.2010: Poster “Tools for Identifying Biodiversity: Progress and Problems” in Paris, Frankreich: “DNA Bank Network – connecting biological collections and sequence databases by means of long-term DNA storage with online accession”.
XI.2009: International Conference on Evolutionary Ecology of Fishes – Diversification, Adaptation and Speciation in Berlin: “Not a simple case. The Midas cichlid complex – a first comprehensive phylogenetic hypothesis”.
XI.2009: ZSM München: “Auf Buntbarschjagd im Kratersee – Abenteuer Nicaragua”.
IX.2008: DATZ-Forum „Buntbarsche“ in Stuttgart: “Vielfalt und Taxonomie des Midas-Cichliden Komplexes in Nicaragua (Amphilophus cf. citrinellus)”.
I.2008: National Park Masaya Volcano in Masaya, Nikaragua: “Species Concepts and Midas Cichlids in Nicaragua”.
XI.2007: ZSM für EESlmu-Master Studenten in München: “An introduction into morphometrics”.
IX.2007: Poster XII ECI in Dubrovnik, Kroatien: “A morphometric and molecular study of selected populations of Gymnocephalus cernuus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Teleostei:Percidae) from central Europe”.
III.2007: Präsentation “Aportes a la taxonomía de la mojarra común (Amphilophus c.f. citrinellus) y su conservación” in Managua, Nikaragua.
Poster
IX.2007: Poster presentation at the ECI XII (XII. European Congress of Ichthyology) in Dubrovnik, Croatia: "A morphometric and molecular study of selected populations of Gymnocephalus cernuus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Teleostei:Percidae) from central Europe".IX.2010: Poster presentation at conference "Tools for Identifying Biodiversity: Progress and Problems" in Paris: "DNA Bank Network - connecting biological collections and sequence databases by means of long-term DNA storage with online accession".
II.2012: Poster GfBS in Bonn: "FREDIE - Freshwater Diversity Identification for Europe".
Projects
There are currently no projects available
Publications
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2026/01
Empowering national capacity for DNA-based approach to species identification and biodiversity monitoring
2025/04
Resolving a 182-year-old taxonomic puzzle: Luciobarbus in the Persian Gulf basin (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)
Zootaxa, 1, 5620
2025/01
A Graphical Key for the Identifi cation of German Freshwater Fishes - Grafischer Bestimmungsschlüssel für die Süßwasserfische Deutschlands
Bulletin of Fish Biology, 20
2023/01
Author response for "MitoGeneExtractor: Efficient extraction of mitochondrial genes from next‐generation sequencing libraries"
2022/09
Biogeographic insights from a genomic survey of Salmo trouts from the Aralo-Caspian regions
Hydrobiologia, 19, 849
2022/05
SHERLOCK – an Automatized Analysis of Molecular Sequence Variation in Species Communities Using Statistical Tests on Patristic Tree Distances
Biodiversity Data Journal
2022/04
A practical approach to revise the Oxynoemacheilus bergianus species group (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae)
Zootaxa, 2, 5128
2022/01
Recommendations for tissue homogenisation and extraction in DNA metabarcoding of Malaise trap samples
2021/05
Coverage and quality of DNA barcode references for Central and Northern European Odonata
PeerJ, 9
2017/10
Der Zahnkärpfling Valencia robertae
2016/10
Eidinemacheilus proudlovei, a new subterranean loach from Iraqi Kurdistan (Teleostei; Nemacheilidae)
Zootaxa, 3, 4173
2016/09
Squalius namak, a new chub from Lake Namak basin in Iran (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)
Zootaxa, 1, 4169
2016/04
GBOL German Barcode of Life : Abschlussbericht GBOL-Verbund : Phase I (2011-2015)
2015/05
The FREDIE project-different lessons from a large-scale DNA barcoding campaign
5, 58
2015/01
Invalidity of Gasterosteus gymnurus (Cuvier, 1829) (Actinopterygii, Gasterosteidae) according to integrative taxonomy
2015/01
Cobitis avicennae, a new species of spined loach from the Tigris River drainage (Teleostei: Cobitidae)
Zootaxa, 5, 3914
2010/08
Description of two new species of the Midas cichlid complex (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from Lake Apoyo, Nicaragua
Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 2, 123