Marc Gottschling

Prof. Dr. Marc Gottschling is a Professor and Academic Director at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich), Faculty of Biology, where he leads the research group on Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants. His interdisciplinary research integrates phylogenetics, microscopy, and molecular biology to study evolutionary mechanisms in diverse organisms including flowering plants (Boraginales), dinophytes, and papillomaviruses.

Education: Completed his PhD at Freie Universität Berlin in 2003 with a thesis on Boraginales phylogenetics, followed by habilitation in 2008 comparing diversification patterns across plants, dinophytes, and viruses.

Research Focus: Gottschling's work centers on evolutionary scenarios using DNA sequencing, electron microscopy, and taxonomy. Key areas include:

• Phylogenetic systematics of Boraginales and dinophytes
• Co-evolution of papillomaviruses with vertebrate hosts
• Taxonomic clarification using molecular and morphological data
• Biodiversity assessment in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems

Publication Trends: His recent articles (2021-2025) demonstrate a strong focus on dinophyte taxonomy, novel species descriptions, and evolutionary mechanisms. Key themes include molecular phylogenetics of microalgae, taxonomic revisions using epitypification, and spatial distribution of symbiotic associations. Earlier work (pre-2020) extensively covers papillomavirus evolution and Boraginales systematics.

Laboratory & Teams: Leads a research group at LMU Munich studying dinophyte biodiversity and plant evolution. Current members include Paula Lehner, Hemingway Nyoka, and Büsra Sahin, with technical support from Stephanie Kruchen.