Monika Quinones Winder

Monika Quinones Winder is a Professor of Marine Ecology at the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University. She leads the Winder Lab, which focuses on understanding the drivers of food web interactions and how they respond to environmental change in aquatic ecosystems.

Dr. Winder received her PhD in Natural Sciences from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Washington, Seattle, and the University of California, Davis. Her academic journey has positioned her as a leading researcher in marine ecology and plankton dynamics.

Her research program explores aquatic food web interactions and their responses to environmental changes, with particular emphasis on planktonic organisms in both freshwater and marine systems. She investigates how species composition and biotic interactions regulate populations, trophic energy transfer, and ecosystem function. Dr. Winder employs a multifaceted approach, combining descriptive field studies, long-term ecological monitoring, experimental research, and advanced molecular techniques such as selective metabarcoding to understand the impacts of external pressures on species and ecosystem dynamics.

Analysis of Dr. Winder's recent publications reveals a strong focus on climate change impacts on plankton communities, particularly in the Baltic Sea ecosystem. Her work examines phenological shifts in plankton blooms, the effects of warming and acidification on plankton recruitment from sediments, and the role of microbial communities in zooplankton gut function. She also maintains active research programs on fish larvae ecology in coastal East Africa and invasive species impacts in the Bolivian Amazon.

Dr. Winder has received recognition for her contributions to marine ecology, though specific awards are not detailed in the available information. Her research has been supported by various funding sources that enable her comprehensive investigations of aquatic ecosystems across different geographical regions.

As a dedicated mentor, Dr. Winder supervises students and postdoctoral researchers in her lab, fostering the next generation of marine ecologists. Her collaborative approach is evident in the extensive list of co-authored publications spanning multiple international research teams.

The Winder Lab maintains an active research agenda with several ongoing projects including studies on plankton species interaction networks, protist parasites in plankton food webs, larval fish production in coastal East Africa, sustainable management of water and soil resources in Bolivia, and plankton-fish interactions in Baltic Sea food webs.