Stella A. Berger

Stella A. Berger is a Research Group Leader in Phytoplankton Ecology and Scientific Coordinator of CTP LakeLab at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) in Stechlin, Germany. Her roles include leading research groups, coordinating large-scale mesocosm facilities (e.g., AQUACOSM, AQUACOSM-plus), and overseeing ecological studies in lakes and coastal systems. She holds a PhD in Aquatic Ecology from Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich and has extensive postdoctoral and professional experience across institutions in Germany, Norway, and the U.S.

Education:

• PhD in Aquatic Ecology, LMU Munich (2000–2005)
• Postdoc at LMU Munich (2005–2010)
• Visiting PhD at Max-Planck Institute for Limnology (2001)
• Diploma in Biology (equiv. B.Sc./M.Sc., LMU Munich)

Research Interests: Berger focuses on plankton population dynamics, food web interactions under climate change, mixotrophy, winter limnology, and the application of mesocosm experiments. Her work integrates cutting-edge technologies like image-based plankton analysis (FlowCam, IFCB) and remote sensing to study ecological responses to multiple stressors (e.g., light pollution, nutrient enrichment, lake browning).

Projects & Coordination:

• Leadership in AQUACOSM-plus, a pan-European network of aquatic mesocosm facilities.
• Coordination of LakeLab, a large-scale lake enclosure facility for ecosystem studies.
• Contributions to initiatives like the Oder River environmental disaster investigation (ODER~SO) and freshwater salinization research.

Labs/Teams: Active in the Plankton and Microbial Ecology Department (Dept. 3) at IGB, collaborating with global researchers on projects involving ecological stoichiometry, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience.