Weihan Jia

Weihan Jia is a PhD Candidate in the Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems department at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Potsdam, Germany. His research focuses on ancient DNA (aDNA) and environmental DNA (eDNA) preserved in lake sediments, with a particular emphasis on reconstructing past vegetation dynamics and paleoclimatic conditions. His work spans regions including the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Siberia, and Alaska, addressing questions related to biodiversity change, climate variability, and ecosystem resilience.

Key research interests include the application of metabarcoding and metagenomics to analyze sedimentary DNA, assessing the preservation of genetic material in lake sediments, and linking these findings to environmental drivers such as land use changes and temperature shifts. Dr. Jia's studies contribute to understanding how high-latitude and high-altitude ecosystems respond to climatic fluctuations, providing insights into future environmental changes.

His publications highlight innovations in combining sedimentary DNA with traditional proxies like pollen analysis to improve vegetation reconstruction accuracy. Recent work has explored the sensitivity of vegetation and glacial systems to summer warming in cold regions, as well as monsoon dynamics linked to ENSO activity. Collaborative efforts include projects on the Tibetan Plateau and Siberian lakes, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to paleoenvironmental research.

While currently focused on his doctoral research, Jia actively engages in data-driven projects through platforms like PANGAEA and Google Scholar, advancing open science and environmental monitoring initiatives.