Nele Martens

Dr. Nele Martens is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Hamburg, affiliated with the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics, and Natural Sciences and specifically the Department of Biology. She works within the Institute of Marine Ecosystem and Fisheries Sciences under the Plankton Ecology and Evolution research group.

• Office: Room 108, Olbersweg 24, Hamburg, Germany
• Contact: nele.martens@uni-hamburg.de

Martens specializes in plankton ecology, focusing on phytoplankton dynamics in estuarine and marine ecosystems. Her research explores metabarcoding techniques, nutrient acquisition mechanisms, and functional group interactions in aquatic environments.

Recent publications highlight her work on organic compound influences on phytoplankton growth (2024, Royal Society B) and mixotrophic flagellate identification in the Elbe estuary (2024, Environmental Research). Earlier research (2021) examined carbon acquisition strategies in Baltic Sea pico-phytoplankton.

She actively participates in collaborative research projects and third-party funded initiatives, mentoring students through MSc & BSc research projects. Her work bridges environmental science, microbial ecology, and evolutionary biology in aquatic systems.