CV
Please see the other pages on this website for recent publications as well as current and past research projects.
Work experience
2019 - ongoing: Research Group leader at Museum Koenig, Bonn, Germany
2018 - ongoing: Bioinformatician at Jonah Ventures llc
2017 - 2019: Postdoc in Guelph, Canada
2013 - 2017: PhD student at University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. Thesis: Development of DNA metabarcoding methods for stream ecosystem assessment. (Grade: summa cum laude)
Education
2011 - 2013: Master in biology (focus on biodiversity) from Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany (Grade: 1.3)
2010 - 2011: ERASMUS stipend at Uppsala University, Sweden (11 Month)
2007- 2010: Bachelor in biology from Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany (Grade: 1.9)
Scientific expertise
Standardized collection and identification of freshwater macrozoobenthos samples.
Planning, constructing and running of multiple-stressor eld experiments.
Development, optimization and validation of DNA metabarcoding laboratory protocols.
Primer development for LAMP, metabarcoding and qPCR.
Bioinformatic analysis of high throughput sequencing data, as well as development of software pipelines (JAMP) and tools (PrimerMiner) in the R environment. Laboratory automation (Biomek FXp).
Population genetic analysis and development of microsatellite markers from high throughput sequencing data.
Science communication and outreach using YouTube, Twitter, blogs as well as teaching and workshops.
Teaching experience
Bachelor and master thesis supervision
eDNA and bulk sample metabarcoding workshops (including bioinformatics) in 2015, 2017 - 2020
Molecular biology lab / field corses
Malaise trap and freshwater invertebrate sampling
Arthropod and plant identification
Honours and Awards
Best dissertation at the Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen (700 €, 2018)
2nd International International Society of Limnology (SIL) Student Competition, best paper Germany (2018)
1st place of the Young Scientist Award from the German limnological society ("Schwoerbel Benndorf Nachwuchspreis") - Talk video (in german) - (700 €, 2017)
eLearning award (5x5000), Ruhr-University Bochum together with Florian Leese (5.000 €, 2015)
RUB Research School Plus - travel stipend (10.000 €, 2014)
IFWW award (for the master thesis, 1.500 €, 2014)
Poster award, annual meeting of the German Limnological Society (150 €, 2014)
Reviewer for international journals
Conservation Genetics Resources, Ecological Indicators, Genome, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Molecular Ecology, Molecular Ecology Resources, Nature Communications, PeerJ, PLOS ONE, Metabarcoding and Metagenomics
Conference participation, meetings and talks
2020
Talk - 4th Annual Meeting in Conservation Genetics 2020 (26-28. February 2020, Naturmuseum Senckenberg, Germany): The Mobile Biodiversity Lab – DNA based ecosystem assessment in a backpack
Meeting - UKDNA Working Group 2020 conference (27-28 January 2020, Natural History Museum, London)
Invited talk - (20. January 2020, University Trier, Germany): DNA metabarcoding
2019
Talk - 1st DACH User Group Meeting (4-5. December 2019, Innsbruck, Austria): Metabarcoding introduction
Talk & Workshop - SFS Annual meeting (19-23. May 2019, Salt lake City, Utah, USA): Freshwater macrozoobenthos metabarcoding
Talk - 8th International Barcode of Life Conference (June 17-20., 2019 Trondheim, Norway): Primer validations
2018
Talk - PISCeS (11. October 2018, University of Guelph, Canada): eDNA metabarcoding
Talk - CSEE 2018 (21. July 2018, University of Guelph, Canada): Freshwater macrozoobenthos metabarcoding
Talk - SFS Annual meeting (20-24. May 2018, Detroit, Michigan, USA): Freshwater macrozoobenthos metabarcoding
2017
Talk - 7th International Barcode of Life Conference (20-24. November 2017, Skukuza, South Afrika): Metabarcoding
Meeting - DNAqua.net working group meetings - lab and bioinformatics (25-28. September 2017, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Plenary talk & Award – Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL) (26/27. September 2017, Cottbus, Germany). Talk awarded with 1st place of the Young Scientist Award ("Schwoerbel Benndorf Nachwuchspreis") - Video of the talk in German
Talk - 10th Symposium for European Freshwater Sciences SEFS (3. – 7. July 2017, Olomouc, Czech)
Talk - DNAqua-Net conference (7. & 8. March 2017, Essen, Germany) – Presentation slides available here.
2016
Talk – Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL) (26.-30. September 2016, Wien, Östereich): Water assessment with DNA metabarcoding – Video des Vortrags auf YouTube (in German)
Talk – International Society of Limnology (SIL) conference (31. July – 5. August 2016, Torino, Italy): “The future of stream monitoring: DNA based – Metabarcoding” – Video of the talk on YouTube!
Talk – SFS Annual Meeting (21.-26. May 2016, Sacramento, CA, USA): “Ground truthing DNA metabarcoding: primers, biomass and specimen sorting” – PeerJ PrePrint
Invited talk – (13. January 2016, University Landau, Germany): The future of stream monitoring: DNA based – Metabarcoding – Video of the talk on YouTube!
Invited talk – (7. January 2016, Museum Koenig, Bonn, Germany): The future of stream monitoring: DNA based – Metabarcoding
2015
Meeting - Metabarcoding coordination (7. October 2015, Natural History Museum, London, GB)
Talk - Science for the Environment 2015 (30. September – 2. October 2015, Aarhus, Denmark): Metabarcoding
Talk - Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL) (21.- 25. September, Essen, Germany): Metabarcoding
Talk & Poster - 6th International Barcode of Life Conference (18.-21. August 2015, Guelph, Canada): Metabarcoding and the R package PrimerMiner
Talk - 9th Symposium for European Freshwater Sciences SEFS (5.- 10. July 2015, Geneva, Switzerland): Metabarcoding
Talk - SWS Annual Meeting (31. May – 5. June, Providence, Rhode Island, USA): Meatabarcoding
Talk - SFS Annual Meeting (17.-21. May 2015, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA): Meatabarcoding
2014
Talk - Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL) (29. September -03. October 2014 Magdeburg, Germany): Community barcoding of macrozoobenthos
Talk - Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting (JASM) (18.-23. May 2014 in Portland, Oregon, USA): Mesocosm Experiments
Talk, Poster & IFWW Award - Essener Tagung (19.-21. März 2014 in Essen, Germany): Population Genetics – Dinocras
2013
Invited talk - (29. July 2013, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Stechlinsee): Population genetics, mesocosm experiments and NGS metabarcoding of freshwater invertebrates.
Invited talk - (17. July 2013, University of Cologne, General Ecology Biocenter Cologne): Population genetics, mesocosm experiments and NGS metabarcoding of freshwater invertebrates.
Talk - 8th Symposium for European Freshwater Sciences SEFS (01.-05. July 2013 in Münster, Germany): Population genetics ofDinocras cephalotes
Poster - Urbane Biodiversität – regionale, nationale und internationale Aspekte (26.-27. March in Essen, Germany): Introducing the GeneStream project
Talk - Gemeinsame Fachtagung über Köcherfliegen sowie Eintags- und Steinfliegen Deutschlands und angrenzender Regionen (08.-10. March in Bad-Bevensen, Germany): Population genetics of Dinocras cephalotes
2012
Poster & poster prize - Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Limnologie (DGL) (24.-28. September 2012 in Koblenz, Germany): Population genetics of Dinocras cephalotes
Poster - 105. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Zoologischen Gesellschaft (DZG) (21.-24. Spetember 2012 in Konstanz, Germany): Population genetics of Dinocras cephalotes
2011
Poster - Challenging (Un)certainties – the Future of Education and Sustainability (23.-25. May in Uppsala, Sweeden) – as part of the course “Sustainable Design”