Sebastian Teichert

Dr. Sebastian Teichert is an Akademischer Rat (Senior Lecturer) at the Chair of Paleoenvironment within the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg. He is affiliated with the GeoZentrum Nordbayern and has been a member of the university faculty since completing his doctorate in 2013. His research focuses on paleoenvironmental reconstruction using marine organisms, particularly coralline red algae as climate proxies in polar regions.

Dr. Teichert's academic background includes:

• Doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) in Geosciences from FAU (2013), supervised by Prof. Dr. André Freiwald
• Diplom-Geologe (Master's equivalent) from FAU (2009), supervised by Prof. Dr. Alexander Nützel

His research interests center around using coralline red algae as environmental and climate proxies, with particular emphasis on Arctic ecosystems. Dr. Teichert investigates how these "ecosystem engineers" respond to climate change, their role in biodiversity maintenance, and their potential as indicators for historical climate conditions. His work bridges paleontology, marine ecology, and climate science, with fieldwork conducted in polar regions including Svalbard and New Zealand. Through his research on rhodolith beds, he has documented how these structures serve as biodiversity hotspots in the Arctic and how they are threatened by climate change and microplastic pollution.

Dr. Teichert has received recognition for his work, including:

• Reinhard Rieger-Award in Zoomorphology (2020)

As an active researcher, Dr. Teichert has secured multiple competitive grants from the German Research Foundation (DFG), including a current project (2024-2026) investigating "The potential of coralline algae as indicators of climate in the Southern Hemisphere." He serves as a peer reviewer for numerous high-impact journals in marine science, paleontology, and climate research. His leadership extends to institutional roles, including membership on the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the Board of Directors of GeoZentrum Nordbayern since 2023.

Dr. Teichert is actively involved in science communication, having given numerous public lectures about Arctic ecosystems and coral reef analogs in polar regions. He has been featured in media outlets including GEO Magazine, Bild der Wissenschaft, and ARDalpha Campus TALKS, making complex scientific concepts accessible to the general public. His outreach efforts include participation in television programs like "Frag doch mal die Maus" and public speaking engagements at venues such as the "Collegium Alexandrinum" and "Wissenschaft im Schloss."