Find Academic Supervisors

Christian MessierView profile

Professor

• Forest Ecology
• Tree Resilience to Global Changes
• Urban Forestry
• +5 more

Christian Messier is a Professor at the University of Quebec in Outaouais (UQO) in the Department of Natural Sciences and at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) in the Department of Biological Sciences. He serves as Scientific Director of the Institute of Temperate Forest Sciences (ISFORT) and holds two prestigious research chairs: the Canada Research Chair on Tree Resilience to Global Changes and the NSERC/Hydro-Québec Chair on Tree Growth Control. His academic career spans over three decades since completing his Ph.D. in forest sciences from the University of British Columbia in 1991. Dr. Messier's research focuses on two primary areas: the complex functioning of managed natural forest systems to develop management approaches that promote resilience in the face of global changes, and the study of trees and urban forests to reconcile the needs of minimizing negative impacts of trees on human infrastructure while maximizing ecosystem services. His work integrates field studies, simulation modeling, and network theory to address pressing challenges in forest ecology and management. His recent publications demonstrate a strong emphasis on urban forest resilience, functional diversity in forest ecosystems, and nature-based solutions for climate adaptation. The research shows a clear trajectory toward more applied, solution-oriented approaches that bridge fundamental ecological understanding with practical forest management applications across diverse spatial scales from individual trees to entire landscapes. Francqui Foundation Chair (Belgium) - 2020 Member of The Royal Society of Canada - 2019 Personality of the Year 'Radio-Canada/Le Droit' - 2017 Humboldt Research Award - 2016 Prix Acfas – Michel-Jurdant - 2010 Canadian Forestry Scientific Achievement Award - 2006 Dr. Messier has supervised over 40 graduate students throughout his career and currently leads multiple major research projects including the Canada Research Chair on Forest Resilience, the NSERC/Hydro-Québec Chair on Tree Growth Control, and the SylvCIT project for urban forest immunization against global change. His research has been supported by significant grants from NSERC, Canada Research Chairs program, Hydro-Québec, and other major funding agencies. He directs the Messier lab with research assistants Kim Bannon and Fanny Maure, and collaborates with numerous researchers across Canada and internationally. His team studies diverse aspects of forest ecology including soil dynamics, functional composition of tree communities, nature-based solutions for climate adaptation, and ecophysiology of maple water flow. The lab maintains strong connections with the International Diversity Experiment Network with Trees (IDENT) and other major forest research initiatives.

• Soil Biogeochemistry
• Carbon Cycling
• Mineral-Soil Interactions
• +3 more

Dr. Marion Schrumpf is a Group Leader in the Soil Biogeochemistry research group at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, affiliated with the Department of Biogeochemical Processes. Her work focuses on soil carbon dynamics, mineral-organic matter interactions, and climate change impacts on soil systems. Research areas: Soil biogeochemistry, carbon cycling, mineral-soil interactions, nutrient stoichiometry, microbial ecology, and climate modeling. Email: mschrumpf@... Phone: +49 3641 57-6182 Office: B2.015 Her recent publications address themes like mineral control over soil carbon stabilization, drought effects on soil processes, microbial stoichiometric adaptation, and the Jena Soil Model's role in simulating carbon-nutrient interactions. She leads efforts to disentangle the complex relationships between land use, mineralogy, and soil organic matter turnover across diverse ecosystems.

• Agricultural Sustainability
• Environmental Impact Assessment
• Animal Behavior and Welfare
• +3 more

Maurizio Ramanzin is a Full Professor at the University of Padova , affiliated with the School of Animal Science and Department of Agronomy, Animals, Food and Natural Resources (DAFNAE) . His research focuses on Agricultural Sustainability , Environmental Impact Assessment , and Precision Livestock Farming . Academic Field : AGR/19 Email : maurizio.ramanzin@unipd.it Address : Agripolis - Viale dell'università, 16 - Legnaro (Padova) – ITALY His work explores the interactions between livestock systems and ecosystem services in mountainous regions, with emphasis on: Grazing Management and biodiversity conservation Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of dairy and beef systems Climate Change Adaptation in Alpine ungulates Animal Welfare in small-scale farms Technological Tools (GPS, NIRS) for monitoring grazing behavior Key trends in his recent publications include: Quantifying environmental drivers of wolf predation on livestock Developing low-cost biologging systems for dairy cows Analyzing social-ecological trade-offs in mountain agriculture Assessing microbial dynamics in alpine soils

Matthew MitchellView profile

Assistant Professor

• Ecosystem Services
• Conservation Biology
• Environmental Management
• +7 more

Matthew Mitchell is an Assistant Professor jointly appointed in the Department of Forest Resources Management at the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and the Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia (UBC). His research focuses on multifunctional landscapes, integrating ecological and socio-economic dimensions to balance biodiversity conservation with human well-being. He co-leads the M2L2 Lab, which emphasizes equitable and sustainable management of urban and agricultural systems. Mitchell’s work bridges landscape ecology, ecosystem service science, and conservation policy, leveraging interdisciplinary methods like socio-ecological modeling and participatory research. His research areas include community ecology, ecosystem services and conservation policy, and environmental change. He collaborates with stakeholders to co-design solutions for urban greenspace planning, agricultural sustainability, and mineral exploration that respect biodiversity. Mitchell’s lab actively engages in reconciliation efforts, acknowledging Indigenous land stewardship and UBC’s location on Musqueam territory. Notable contributions include studies on forest restoration trade-offs, flood mitigation via ecosystems, and biodiversity-ecosystem service linkages. Mitchell advises students like Dan Forrest (UBC Public Scholar) and MSc candidate Aaron Aguirre, exploring urban bat ecology and mutualistic city design. His work informs national conservation strategies and urban planning, emphasizing equity and ecological resilience. Lab activities focus on developing tools for multifunctional landscape planning, such as indices for restorative nature and frameworks balancing mineral prospectivity with conservation. Mitchell’s research underscores the urgency of addressing global biodiversity loss through inclusive, science-driven policies.

Marcell K. PetersView profile

Researcher

• Biodiversity
• Community Ecology
• Climate Change
• +5 more

Dr. Marcell K. Peters is a Senior Academic Councillor at the Chair of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (Zoology III) at the University of Bremen. His research focuses on biodiversity patterns, ecosystem functioning, and climate-land use interactions in tropical and montane environments, with extensive fieldwork in East Africa and the Amazon. He leads projects under DFG and EU funding, including the UPSCALE initiative. Habilitation in Zoology (University of Würzburg, 2018) PhD in Biology (University of Bonn, 2008) Diploma in Biology (RWTH Aachen & University of Bonn, 2003) Research spans multi-taxa community ecology, army ants and ant-following birds, DNA barcoding applications, and climate change impacts on pollination networks. Google Scholar highlights recent work on climate-agriculture interactions in sub-Saharan Africa, trait-based community assembly, and network resilience in biodiversity hotspots. His publications emphasize elevational gradients, disturbance ecology, and functional diversity across Mount Kilimanjaro studies. Current affiliations include the DFG Research Unit Kilimanjaro and EU-funded UPSCALE project. He employs advanced methods like airborne LiDAR for biodiversity prediction and investigates nutrient use by ant communities across continents.

Anna CordView profile

Professor

• Computational Landscape Ecology
• Ecosystem Services
• Biodiversity Conservation
• +7 more

Anna Cord is a Professor and Chair of Computational Landscape Ecology at the Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Environmental Sciences. She leads research at the intersection of remote sensing, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Previously, she headed the working group 'Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services' at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ from 2012 to 2020. Doctorate (Dr. rer. nat): University of Würzburg, 2012 Studies: Biology and Geography, University of Würzburg and University of Umeå, Sweden Research Assistant: German Aerospace Center (DLR) and University of Würzburg, 2007–2012 Her research focuses on spatial analysis and modeling of land use impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services , using remote sensing and GIS. She investigates trade-offs and synergies in multifunctional landscapes and develops methods to monitor ecosystem services via Earth observation. Her work supports sustainable land management and policy design. Her recent publications reveal strong trends in ecosystem multifunctionality , multi-objective land use optimization , and integration of socio-environmental data . She emphasizes scalable models, interdisciplinary frameworks, and policy-relevant tools, often using national and global datasets. Her work bridges computational ecology, environmental modeling, and conservation science. Scientific Awards and Honors: Best PhD Student Paper Award, iEMSs Conference, Ottawa, 2010 Scholarship, German Academic Scholarship Foundation, 2004–2007 Member, Young Academy of BBAW and Leopoldina, since 2019 Anna Cord is actively involved in academic service and mentoring. She serves as Study Programme Coordinator for BSc and MSc Geography and teacher training programs at TU Dresden. She leads major research grants such as BESTMAP (EU Horizon 2020) and ECO²SCAPE (BMBF) . She is also an editor for Regional Environmental Change and Remote Sensing in Ecology & Conservation . She contributes to international scientific coordination as Task Leader for Remote Sensing of Ecosystem Services in GEO BON . She has previously served on the Main Committee of the Scientific and Technical Council at UFZ. Her leadership extends to curriculum development and examination boards in geosciences.

• Forest Economics
• Sustainable Forest Management
• Managerial Economics
• +12 more

Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing.Dr.nat.techn. Walter Sekot is a Professor at the Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Economics, Department for Economics and Social Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). His research focuses on forest economics, sustainable forest management, and socio-economic aspects of forestry, with expertise in accounting data networks and economic analysis of small-scale forestry. Education: Doctoral degree (1986) and Habilitation (1991) from BOKU; Professorship (1993) at TU Dresden. Key Research Areas: Forest economics, bioeconomy, risk analysis in forest management, international forest accounting harmonization, and non-wood forest services. His recent work includes analyzing forest accountancy data networks, timber and non-timber valuation, and challenges in sustainable forest management under climate change. He has presented extensively at international conferences like IUFRO and Forstökonomisches Kolloquium. Scientific Awards: Preis der Prof. Anton Kurir-Stiftung (1991) for supporting young researchers.

• Urban Water Management
• Nature-Based Solutions
• Circular Economy
• +7 more

Bernhard Pucher is a Senior Scientist at the Institute of Sanitary Engineering, Industrial Water Management and Water Pollution Control (SIG), within the Department of Landscape, Water and Infrastructure at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). He holds a doctorate in technical natural sciences and is actively leading and participating in multiple research projects focused on urban water management and nature-based solutions. His research interests lie at the intersection of urban sustainability and environmental engineering, with a strong focus on urban water management , circular economy , nature-based solutions , treatment wetlands , vertical greening systems , and greywater treatment . His work emphasizes process-based modeling of water and solute transport, particularly using the HYDRUS software, to optimize the design and performance of decentralized water treatment systems. The recent articles highlight a consistent trend in developing and evaluating nature-based technologies for sustainable urban water cycles. Key themes include the performance assessment of vertical and horizontal flow wetlands, numerical modeling for design optimization, the multifunctionality of green walls for cooling and water reuse, and the integration of blue-green infrastructure into circular city frameworks. His research bridges technical modeling with practical implementation, aiming to quantify resource recovery and improve urban resilience. Board member of the IWA national committee Austria (2023) Member of the Management Committee, IWA Specialist Group on 'Wetland Systems for Water Pollution Control' (2019) Active reviewer for journals including Chemical Engineering Journal , Science of the Total Environment , and Water Science and Technology Served on scientific advisory boards for major conferences like WETPOL and IWA ecoSTP He has supervised numerous master’s theses on topics such as greywater use for vertical greening, treatment performance of living walls, and modeling of rainwater use. His projects are funded by diverse sources including the European Commission (Horizon), FFG, national companies, and private foundations, demonstrating strong grant acquisition capability. He is also involved in knowledge transfer through public reports, media contributions, and participation in policy-relevant seminars. Bernhard Pucher is a key member of a research team that includes collaborators like Günter Langergraber, Ulrike Pitha, and Isabella Zluwa. His work is often conducted within interdisciplinary projects such as 'resilientRAIN', 'UrBan hEat islands REsilience', and the EU COST Action 'Circular City Re.Solution', reflecting a collaborative approach to addressing complex urban environmental challenges.

Jiangxiao QiuView profile

Associate Professor

• Landscape Ecology
• Ecosystem Services
• Global Change Ecology
• +4 more

Dr. Jiangxiao Qiu is an Associate Professor of Landscape Ecology at the University of Florida's School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, based at the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center. His research integrates landscape ecology, ecosystem services, and sustainability science to address global environmental challenges. He employs interdisciplinary approaches including computational modeling, remote sensing, and field experiments to study human-nature interactions across scales. Research Focus: Dr. Qiu investigates how climate change, land-use intensification, and biological invasions alter ecosystems and biodiversity. Key themes include: Landscape sustainability science and social-ecological systems Ecosystem service tradeoffs in agricultural and urban landscapes Global change impacts on biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships Development of geospatial tools for environmental decision-making Recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate strong emphasis on: Urban ecosystem services and greenspace multifunctionality Post-disturbance forest recovery using remote sensing Soil nutrient dynamics in managed grasslands Integration of cultural ecosystem services in landscape planning Scalable frameworks for biomass and biodiversity monitoring Dr. Qiu actively recruits graduate students through his Landscape Ecology and Sustainability Science Lab, focusing on transformative solutions for conservation and policy challenges. Current research explores urban-rural sustainability linkages, phosphorus cycling in subtropical systems, and climate-resilient landscape design.

Christian WirthView profile

Professor

• Plant Ecology
• Biodiversity
• Ecosystem Functioning
• +7 more

Christian Wirth is a Professor at Leipzig University, where he serves as Director of the Botanical Garden and heads the Special Botany and Functional Biodiversity Group. He is also the founding director of the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig. His research integrates botany and plant ecology with species conservation, focusing on biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships in terrestrial ecosystems. Education includes: Diploma in Biology (1996) from University of Bayreuth PhD (summa cum laude, 2000) from University of Bayreuth Wirth's research examines how natural and human-induced biodiversity changes affect ecosystem processes like carbon storage, water consumption, and energy balance. His pioneering work includes developing trait-based approaches (TRY database) and investigating climate change impacts on forests. Current projects focus on forest conservation, functional diversity, and biogeochemical cycling using advanced facilities like the Leipzig Auwaldkran canopy crane and ARBOfun research arboretum. His publications emphasize biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships, with recent work exploring drought resilience in forests, root trait economics, soil microbial interactions, and remote sensing applications. Research consistently demonstrates how plant traits and community composition mediate ecosystem responses to global change stressors. Major research projects include: NFDI4BioDiversität (2021-2025): Biodiversity and environmental data infrastructure Faktencheck Artenvielfalt (2021-2024): National biodiversity assessment Quantifizierung der Kommunikationsdienstleistung durch Biodiversität (2017-2021) Wirth leads the Special Botany group investigating functional biodiversity significance and directs field research facilities including the Leipzig Auwaldkran. His team collaborates extensively within iDiv's interdisciplinary research framework.

Francisco Dini-AndreoteView profile

Associate Professor

• Microbiome Ecology
• Plant-Microbe Interactions
• Sustainable Agriculture
• +3 more

Francisco Dini-Andreote serves as Associate Professor of Plant Science at Penn State University's College of Agricultural Sciences and holds the endowed Huck Early Career Chair in Microbial Community Ecology. His research integrates microbiome science, plant-microbe interactions, and ecological theory to advance sustainable agriculture. Affiliations include the Huck Institutes' Microbiome Center, Center for Root and Rhizosphere Biology, and Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics. Research focuses on: Microbiome assembly in response to environmental gradients (e.g., urbanization, climate change) Engineering rhizosphere communities for crop resilience against drought and pathogens Soil health restoration via anaerobic disinfestation techniques Recent publications (2024-2025) reveal strong emphasis on: Ecological processes governing microbial coalescence and food web dynamics Molecular mechanisms of plant-microbe signaling under stress Cross-kingdom synthetic communities for agricultural applications Awards include the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair (2024). Grant leadership encompasses USDA-funded projects ($1M+) optimizing organic farming through microbiome manipulation. Actively advises graduate students and leads the Dini-Andreote Lab, which collaborates with international teams to study soil-plant-microbe interfaces.

Michael StrauchView profile

Researcher

• Integrated Watershed Modeling
• Multi-Objective Land Use Optimization
• Ecosystem Services Assessment
• +2 more

Dr. Michael Strauch is a researcher at the Department of Computational Landscape Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Leipzig, Germany. He specializes in integrated process-based watershed modeling and multi-objective optimization of land-use allocation, focusing on the impacts of land use intensity, landscape composition, and configuration on water-related ecosystem services, agricultural production, and biodiversity. His work involves coupling simulation models with heuristic search algorithms using the generic model integration tool CoMOLA and advancing the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) . Key Research Areas: Trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services Stakeholder-driven land use strategies Climate change adaptation in water resources SWAT+/CoMOLA tool development Recent publications highlight his contributions to optimizing agri-environmental practices (2025), addressing soil data gaps in European catchments (2024), and modeling climate-deforestation impacts in Amazonia (2025). His work spans projects like BiodivERsA TALE and OPTAIN , with a focus on multifunctional agricultural landscapes.

Sara HallinView profile

Professor

• Microbial Ecology
• Nitrogen Cycling
• Soil Biology
• +3 more

Sara Hallin is a Professor at the Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala. She leads the Soil Microbiology Group, focusing on microbial communities in terrestrial environments, particularly nitrogen cycling and its implications for agriculture and environmental sustainability. Her work bridges fundamental research and applied challenges like greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient management. Teaching responsibilities include courses such as Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry (MSc) and Molecular and Microbial Ecology (BSc), emphasizing sustainable plant production and soil health. Current research projects include the KAW Scholar-funded study on nitrogen-transforming networks and the MaLaGa initiative optimizing N2O-reducing biocatalysts. Research interests span microbial ecology, biogeochemical cycles, and agroecosystems, with contributions to understanding nitrogen retention, denitrification, and soil multifunctionality. Recent publications highlight advancements in nitrate-ammonifying bacteria, fungal denitrifiers, and soil acidification impacts on N2O emissions. Scientific Awards: Not explicitly listed in the provided text. Advising: Supervises PhD students including Laura Müller, Eva Kubove, and others in the Soil Microbiology Group. Labs/Teams: Active in the Soil Microbiology Group and collaborates with institutions like Umeå University and Aarhus University on Arctic ecosystems and environmental engineering projects.

• Floodplain and Restoration Ecology
• Biogeochemistry
• Ecosystem Services and Multifunctionality
• +5 more

Martin Tschikof is a researcher at the Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management within the Department of Ecosystem Management, Climate and Biodiversity at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). He currently coordinates the strategic cooperation between BOKU and the Environment Agency Austria (2024), with prior roles including Research Associate at BOKU (2018), WasserCluster Lunz (2018-2019), and guest researcher at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) in Germany (2022). His doctoral dissertation (2020-2024) examined floodplain restoration impacts on water purification and multifunctionality in the Danube River Basin. His academic qualifications include: MSc. in Limnology and Wetland Management (2016-2018) from the joint program of BOKU University, IHE Delft, and Egerton University BSc. in Biology (Ecology) (2012-2016) from the University of Vienna Tschikof specializes in floodplain and restoration ecology , biogeochemistry , and ecosystem services multifunctionality , with fieldwork spanning Austria, Germany, and Danube Basin countries. His research integrates hydrological modeling, nutrient cycling analysis (particularly nitrogen and phosphorus retention), and socio-ecological frameworks to evaluate wetland management outcomes. Recent work emphasizes quantifying restoration trade-offs between regulating services (water purification) and cultural services (recreation, biodiversity) using basin-scale assessments. Publication trends (2020-2025) reveal consistent focus on floodplain multifunctionality indicators, denitrification modeling, and EU project applications (Restore4Life, DANUBE4all). Key themes include proxy-based assessment tools for restoration decision-making, socio-ecohydrological system evolution, and transnational prioritization of conservation areas using ecosystem service trade-off analysis. His scientific recognition includes: Reinhard Liepolt-Prize for Danube Research (2024) from the Austrian Committee of the International Association for Danube Research While no formal students or grants are documented, Tschikof has delivered 23 international lectures since 2019 across Austria (8), Germany (7), and six other nations, often as keynote speaker for Danube restoration initiatives. He actively contributes to EU Horizon projects, particularly Restore4Life's citizen science component for wetland assessment. He operates within BOKU's Hydrobiology Institute alongside WasserCluster Lunz and Leibniz IGB collaborators, focusing on the Danube River Basin. Current efforts prioritize upscaling floodplain restoration metrics through EU-funded consortia and developing practical tools for water quality management agencies.

• Community ecology
• Entomology
• Global environmental change
• +5 more

Raphael Didham is a Professor at the School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia. His research focuses on community ecology, entomology, and global environmental change, particularly addressing habitat fragmentation and restoration ecology challenges. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to life on land and climate action. He leads major grants including a CSIRO-funded project on global change impacts on biodiversity and biosecurity (2018–2025), and has collaborated on initiatives like dung beetle ecosystem engineering projects. His research spans tropical forest dynamics, insect conservation, and the ecological impacts of land use changes. Didham has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles, including high-impact works in Nature , Nature Ecology and Evolution , and Global Ecology and Biogeography . His datasets, such as LandFrag and FragSAD, are widely used in biodiversity studies. He supervises research projects on topics like insect declines, forest fragmentation effects, and restoration strategies. His grants include funding from organizations like the Forrest Research Foundation and Meat & Livestock Australia, reflecting interdisciplinary collaborations between academia and applied conservation sectors. Key projects address insect trait ecology, dung beetle ecological roles, and ecosystem resilience in fragmented landscapes. Didham's lab and collaborative networks focus on synthesizing field data with global datasets to inform conservation policies. Current research emphasizes understanding biodiversity loss mechanisms and developing actionable solutions for sustainable land management.