Kristel Panksep

Kristel Panksep is a Research Fellow at the Estonian University of Life Sciences, affiliated with the Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the Chair of Hydrobiology and Fisheries. She specializes in molecular ecology research with particular focus on aquatic ecosystems.

Her research examines:

• Environmental DNA (eDNA) methodologies for biodiversity assessment
• Global patterns of aquatic fungal diversity through the FunAqua project
• Trophic dynamics of cyanobacteria in aquatic food webs
• Metabarcoding techniques for fish species identification
• Comparative analysis of aquatic biodiversity using water versus sediment samples

Dr. Panksep leads significant international research initiatives including a postdoctoral project mapping global fish biodiversity through eDNA analysis, establishing methodologies for large-scale aquatic ecosystem monitoring.