Gabriele Weigelhofer

Gabriele Weigelhofer is an Associate Professor at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) and Head of the BIGER Research Group at WasserCluster Lunz. Her work focuses on Aquatic Ecology, Biogeochemical Cycles, and Science Education, with a strong emphasis on Restoration Ecology and Participatory Environmental Research.

• Research Themes: Biogeochemistry of riverine landscapes, surface-groundwater interactions, nutrient cycling, microbial ecology, and climate change impacts on stream ecosystems.
• Projects: Leads multi-year initiatives like IRL: Impacts of Bioenergy Crops on Streams (2024–2028) and Restore4Life (2023–2027), focusing on wetland restoration and floodplain multifunctionality.
• Awards:
  • 2021 BOKU Sustainability Award in Education for Sustainable Development.
• Education & Outreach: Coordinates interdisciplinary networks for science education in Lower Austria and contributes to citizen science projects like the Austrian Citizen Science Conference.
• Recent Publications: Recent work explores nutrient retention in drought-affected streams, DOM dynamics in subtropical rivers, and the role of woodchips in bioreactors for nutrient mitigation.

She actively collaborates with institutions like the International Association for Danube Research (IAD), European Citizen Science Association (ECSA), and European Geosciences Union (EGU), delivering keynotes and lectures on aquatic sustainability. Her research integrates field experiments, laboratory studies, and modeling to address water quality and ecosystem restoration under climate change.