Ursula Gaedke

Professor Dr. Ursula Gaedke is a leading academic at the University of Potsdam, where she heads the research group Ecology and Ecosystem Modelling within the Institute of Biochemistry and Biology. Her work integrates field observations, laboratory experiments, and mathematical modeling to advance ecological theory and address pressing environmental issues such as biodiversity loss and ecosystem resilience.

Her research focuses on plankton communities and food web dynamics, with a strong emphasis on trait-based approaches and seasonal patterns in natural systems like Lake Constance. She leads the DFG Priority Programme DynaTrait and is involved in the DFG Research Training Group BioMove, emphasizing individual-based and adaptive ecological modeling.

The recent publications of her group reveal a consistent trend toward understanding how trait dynamics, trade-offs, and trophic interactions shape community stability and biodiversity. Her work increasingly bridges empirical data with theoretical models, especially in the context of seasonal shifts, self-organized pattern formation, and multitrophic interactions. The research spans from microbial plankton to complex food webs, often using long-term datasets and advanced analytical techniques.

She supervises a dynamic team of PhD and master’s students, including Lilla Zsuzsanna Kiss, Louica Philipp, Catalina Rios Henriques, Julia Pawlak, and Edvin Löthgren. Former students like Dr. Elias Ehrlich have continued successful research careers. Her leadership in large collaborative projects underscores her central role in theoretical and quantitative ecology in Germany.

Prof. Gaedke has been instrumental in building one of the largest theoretical ecology groups in Germany, combining empirical rigor with innovative modeling to explore how ecosystems respond to environmental change.