Christian Zehner

Christian Zehner is a Research Associate and PhD student at the Department of Global Change Ecology (Faculty of Biology, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg). His work focuses on insect biodiversity dynamics under global change, integrating land use, climate, and protected area frameworks.

Education:

• Since 04/2025: PhD in Biology, Faculty of Biology, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg
• 2020-2023: M.Sc. in Ecological Engineering, Technical University of Munich
• 2019-2020: Erasmus+ in Ecology and Conservation, Høgskolen i Innlandet (Norway)
• 2015-2020: B.Eng. in Forestry, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences

His research examines insect occupancy trends shaped by environmental changes, using spatial analysis and long-term monitoring. Key projects include evaluating protected area efficacy and analyzing climate-land use interactions.

Scientific contributions include 2023-2024 conference presentations on insect conservation and protected area priorities, with a 2024 DBU PhD scholarship and Freising Mayor's Master Thesis Award recognizing his work.

Zehner collaborates with the Chair for Global Change Ecology and participates in field campaigns, citizen science events (BioBlitz), and interdisciplinary projects like Translating Soil Biodiversity. His expertise spans GIS, telemetry, and ecological data analysis.