Holger Kreft

Holger Kreft is a Full Professor and Head of the Department of Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography at the University of Göttingen. He combines observational field studies, experiments, and ecoinformatics to investigate biodiversity patterns across spatial and temporal scales, with a focus on taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity.

• 2017 - today: Full Professor (W3), University of Göttingen
• 2015 - 2017: Associate Professor (W2, tenured), University of Göttingen
• 2009 - 2015: Assistant Professor (W1, tenure-track), University of Göttingen

His research spans tropical ecology, macroecology, and biogeography, with field projects in Mexico, Panama, Madagascar, and Indonesia. He has pioneered analyses of global plant diversity gradients and contributed to high-profile databases like GIFT, GloNAF, TRY, and sPlots.

Scientific Awards & Fellowships

• Highly Cited Researcher in Cross-Field (since 2020)
• Science Award of Lower Saxony (2015)
• Feodor Lynen Return Fellowship (2009)
• Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship (2008–2009)
• Merian Award (2006)
• Alwyn Gentry Award (2003)

Kreft leads the Department of Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, integrating empirical fieldwork with data-driven approaches to address conservation challenges under anthropogenic change.