Alumni
List of researchers, students, and staff formerly working in the center. Scrolling down below the overview, you will, on this page, find short descriptions of research interests and pictures of people.
| Postdoctoral Researchers | |||
 | Mohamed Adjou The aim of my research is to understand how changes in Climate and Biogeochemistry affect ecosystems and species biodiversity. My background is in Oceanography and Marine Biogeochemistry, and here at the Center I am involved in several marine research projects targeting the understanding of the impacts of various forcings (i.e. climate and biogeochemical changes) on marine pelagic ecosystems (e.g. phytoplankton diversity, the strength of the "biological pump" and population dynamics). For this purpose, I am developing and applying several tools (modelling and data analysis). In parallel to the marine projects, I am involved in a collaborative study with colleagues from terrestrial disciplines aiming to explore the link between “stable oceanic currents” and the terrestrial biodiversity hotspots. Email: madjou@bio.ku.dk | ||
 | Dimitar Dimitrov My main interests are in the field of systematics and phylogeny of spiders with emphasis on the family Pholcidae and the orbweaver spiders (Araneoidea). I am also interested in the processes of speciation in general and the factors involved. Modeling spatial patterns of biodiversity and quantifying the impact of human and climate changes on them, by combining remotely sensed spatial and temporal data sets on the status of environment with geo-referenced taxonomic data. Email: dimitard.gwu @ gmail.com | ||
 | Pierre-Henri Fabre My postdoctoral research deals with the diversification of Passeriformes. I am currenly developping a Core Corvoidea project dealing with their systematics, diversification and biogeography. I plan to focus on the very interesting family of Monarchidae and also Core Corvoidea clade. The use of phylogenetic data allowed to estimate extinction and speciation rates, to detect shifts in diversification rates, and to study of the link between biological traits and diversification within clades. I will also explored the relative plausibility of biogeographic events, climatic events, life history traits and morphology as explanations for variations in diversification rate. Email: phfmourade@gmail.com | ||
 | Susanne Fritz Current research: My work focuses on bringing together large-scale spatial distribution patterns and phylogenetic information. Using global databases and molecular phylogenies, I am trying to separate influences of evolutionary history and current environmental variation on species richness and community composition. My research links trait evolution to the spatial and phylogenetic patterns we see today. I am also interested in past, current and future impacts of humans on spatial biodiversity patterns. Email: SFritz -at- bio.ku.dk | ||
 | Panu Halme My research has mostly been focused on different aspects of forest biodiversity and its conservation. In addition, I have been working with biodiversity survey methods, restoration ecology and the ecology of species inhabiting traditional rural biotopes such as wooded pastures. I have used mostly fungi but also birds and bryophytes as my study species. In my current project I will study how different log, stand and landscape scale factors affect the fungal communities living in decaying wood. I am currently situated at the Centre of Macroecology, Evolution and Climate but I am also involved in some research projects in University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Email: panu.p.j.halme@jyu.fi | ||
 | Christian Hof Being broadly interested in many aspects of macroecology and biodiversity research, my current work focuses on (i) the potential impacts of climate change on biodiversity, (ii) the evolution of species' ecological niches, and (iii) the biogeography and macroecology of European freshwaters, in particular of dragon- and damselflies (Odonata). In my work I usually try to integrate different methodological approaches, with a current emphasis on species distribution modelling and on statistical methods investigating phylogenetic signal in ecological niches and traits. Recent projects include, e.g., the assessment of future threats for global amphibian diversity, the analyses of diversity patterns of European freshwater animals, the test for phylogenetic signal in the climatic niches of amphibians, and the investigation of how the habitat niche affects the dispersal ability of dragon- and damselflies, and in turn their potential to respond to climate change. Email: chof@bio.ku.dk | ||
 | Ben Holt The aim of my current research project is to investigate and explain spatial patterns of biodiversity within the marine environment. In order to achieve this goal I am focusing on Caribbean coral reef fish. Using a large fish survey database, provided by our collaborators (R.E.E.F.), I am currently investigating patterns of fish species richness across the region. I will determine which environmental factors are most closely associated with variation in species richness and consider both alpha and beta diversity. This project will also consider other aspects of biodiversity, namely phylogenetic and functional diversity, and examine the relationships between these different diversity metrics. I will also consider community assembly processes in these fish and attempt to answer long standing questions regarding the composition of life on coral reef systems. Email: b.holt@uea.ac.uk | ||
 | Knud Andreas Jønsson My research interests are centered around systematics and biogeography of an Indo-Pacific bird radiation, the core Corvoidea. This group numbers about 750 species and includes such diverse groups as cuckoo-shrikes, whistlers, orioles, crows, birds-of-paradise and vireos. I have constructed molecular phylogenies for a number of these families and use these as a tool to investigate biogeographical patterns of dispersal and diversification in time and space. Email: kajonsson@snm.ku.dk | ||
 | Jean-Philippe Lessard I am generally interested in integrating ecological and evolutionary approaches to gain a better understanding of the forces governing the assembly of communities. My research incorporates concepts in community Ecology, Biogeography, Macroecology and Macroevolution to elucidate how current patterns of community structure emerge. More specifically, I use large datasets of community composition, molecular phylogenies, null models and environmental niche modeling to assess the role of evolutionary history in driving spatial variation in community structure. In addition, I use environmental gradients and biological invasions as natural experiments to examine the cause and consequences of contemporary patterns of biodiversity. | ||
 | Martin Lindegren Global patterns of fish species richness and phylogeny. Similar to terrestrial organisms, global fish species richness show a strong latitudinal gradient, mainly related to temperature and primary production. Whether these patterns are consistent across taxonomic groups is largely unknown. This project will link fish species richness with recent findings in phylogeny and investigate the factors affecting the radiation and distribution of marine fish species. Email: mli@aqua.dtu.dk | ||
 | Irene Mantzouni My research interests involve mainly the application of mathematical and statistical models for the study of population spatio-temporal dynamics on broad scales, focusing on the ecology of marine ecosystems. In particular, during my freshly finished PhD at DTU-Aqua, I had the chance to discover the merits and strengths of meta-analysis in the marine science. Thus, I applied and developed various meta-analytic methods in order to elucidate the effects of warming oceans on fish reproductive dynamics, as well as how carrying capacity relates to the available area, across the distribution of some widely spread, well known fish species, including cod, herring and haddock in the N Atlantic. Now, during my postdoctoral research, I plan to continue working in this vein, whereby I will investigate large scale patterns regarding fish life history, growth, recruitment productivity, and biodiversity, compare patterns across species and study the potential effects of climate and of other ecosystem properties. Email: IMantzouni@bio.ku.dk | ||
 | Anna Neuheimer My research is focused on explaining spatial and temporal variability in population dynamics of exploited species and associated prey populations in aquatic systems. This work includes the development and application of quantitative tools to disentangle the various factors (e.g. climate, fishing) affecting growth and life history, as well as consolidate our current theories of environmentally dependent population dynamics (e.g. individual-based models). Currently, I am developing modelling tools to explain and predict dynamics of cod (Gadus morhua) and herring (Clupea harengus) populations across the north Atlantic. Models will include spatial variability in environmentally dependent growth and life history characteristics for both species across their range, and will be used to predict species dynamics under future climate conditions. Email: abneuheimer@gmail.com | ||
 | Hannah Marie Wood My research interests focus on functional morphology, particularly in relation to diversification, ecology, and behavior. I have been examining two closely related spider families (the pelican and trap-jaw spiders, families Archaeidae and Mecysmaucheniidae) that have both evolved unusual jaw/carapace morphologies, which directly relate to their predatory behaviors. Working with trap-jaw spiders, I hope to address how diversification rates change in relation to rates of morphological and functional change as the trap-jaw structure evolves increasing complexity. Working on pelican spiders, my research focuses on understanding the timing and nature of diversification patterns in relation to the evolution the novel jaw/carapace morphology, with an emphasis on ancient speciation patterns in Madagascar. Email: hannah.wood@snm.ku.dk | ||
| PhD Students | |||
 | Benjamin Blonder My dissertation focuses on understanding how biological networks impact plant adaptation and acclimation to novel and past climates. I use a combination of modeling, experimental, and field approaches to assess 1) how leaf venation networks control plant resource fluxes and matching to environment and 2) the processes controlling the functional niches of communities over time. My goals are to provide new fundamental understandings of couplings between physiology and ecosystems that are applicable to reconstruction of past climate and prediction of the impacts of future climates. Email: bblonder@gmail.com | ||
 | Aske Bosselmann In my PhD project, which was carried out at Forest & Landscape in collaboration with CATIE in Costa Rica, I worked with small scale coffee farmers who, through their management of shade coffee systems, provide a range of environmental or ecosystem services, ranging from carbon sequestration to biodiversity conservation through maintenance of habitats, biological corridors and buffer zones. With increasing costs of production and highly fluctuating coffee prices, farmers are shifting to other land uses and environmental services are lost. How can schemes of Payments for Environmental Services be set up to secure the services provided by shade coffee systems, and can coffee cooperatives make PES schemes more efficient, effective and equitable? These are some of the questions the PhD study aimed to answer, based on field work in Costa Rica and Nicaragua Email: ab@foi.ku.dk | ||
 | Stine Wamberg Broch My research interests are primarily related to landowner motivation. Since private landowners often own large share of the land area they are important agents in implementing nature conservation. The research aims at developing theory and methods on how different types of policy tools can be improved in order to simultaneously achieve societal goals and meet the interests and motivation of the private landowners. I use different theories from e.g. sociology, social psychology and economics to increase understanding of landowner motivation. Furthermore, I use both quantitative methods as choice experiments and qualitative methods as interviews to explore landowner motivation. For example, I have used a choice experiment to investigate Danish landowners’ preferences regarding afforestation subsidy schemes. The results are used to discuss how afforestation schemes could be further developed. Email: wamberg@life.ku.dk | ||
 | Monika Chrenková My main interests are within conservation biology and ornithology. The main focus of my PhD work is the behavioural ecology of the Little Owl in Central European farmland, linked with identification of causes of its decline and possibilities for conservation. I aim at finding effective approaches to incorporate scientific results to biodiversity conservation, protected area management and related environmental policies. My previous experiences include mainly monitoring and conservation of endangered species (especially raptors), management of water ecosystems, creation of ecological networks and active involvement of local people in nature conservation. I come from Slovakia, from an NGO background (cooperating with NGOs from countries of the Danube River Basin and the Carpathian Region). I started a PhD in autumn 2010 at the University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic. Starting in February 2011 I join the CMEC for 1 year, where Kasper Thorup will function as supervisor. Email: chrenkova@gmail.com | ||
 | Carsten Egevang My field of interest is Arctic ecology with a special focus on Arctic seabirds. My research involves studies of regulating mechanisms that affect population size in seabirds. The fieldwork in assosiation with my PhD is conducted on Arctic terns breeding in central West Greenland and includes experimental studies on optimal clutch size and the ability to produce a replacement clutch. By combining these studies with information on biological parameters a model on population dynamics is produced. Email: egevang@natur.gl | ||
 | Henrique Batalha Filho In my PhD project I aim to understand the evolutionary diversification of the Atlantic forest by comparative phylogeography using forest birds. I am using genes to reconstruct the past history by coalescent and phylogenetic approaches. I am trying to find which biogeographic events played a role on the Atlantic forest Quaternary diversification and I will test the hypothesis to historical contact between Atlantic forest and Amazon. I come from Brazil, from São Paulo city. I have started my PhD in 2008 at Biosciences Institute from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. I am visiting the Zoological Museum for 2 and half months, where Jon Fjeldså will be supervising me. Email: henrique.batalha@usp.br | ||
 | Toke T. Høye I am interested in short-term intra- and inter-specific interactions in a multi-trophic High Arctic ecosystem prone to experience changes in response to predicted temperature increase. The biotic and abiotic data collected at Zackenberg in North East Greenland since 1996 represent a detailed and repeated time series on local climate and the short-term seasonal dynamics of major species groups. Although only covering relatively few years, the monitoring database includes detailed behavioural and abundance data within each year and allows for the investigation of seasonal as well as inter-annual dynamics in relation to climate. Email: tthoye@bio.ku.dk | ||
 | Irina Levinsky My research interests lie primarily within the fields of biogeography and biodiversity conservation. I am interested in the factors governing the geographical distributions of species and the potential impacts of global change on these. In particular, the effects of climate change on species distributions and their implications for conservation. In my PhD I use climate envelope modelling to reconstruct past “geographical distributions” of vertebrates (primarily mammals and birds) in sub-Saharan Africa. More specifically, I use the abovementioned to re-evaluate the role of refugia for the persistence of species in tropical Africa during the last glacial maximum. While at it, I also spend some time assessing the limitations of the modelling approach. Email: ilevinsky@bio.ku.dk | ||
 | Jessica Oswald My research is focused on the biogeography of Neotropical dry forest birds. I am using niche modeling and phylogeographic methods combined with a large late Pleistocene songbird fossil dataset to study how Quaternary climate fluctuations and the Neogene uplift of the Andes shaped the modern distributions of dry forest birds in northwest Peru. The motivation behind my research is to preserve diversity in these highly threatened habitats and to use species’ past responses to historical climate change to predict how their ranges might shift in response to human-caused climate change. I am a visiting PhD student working with Dr. Jon Fjeldså. Together we are studying the species and community relationships across Andean dry valleys and lowland Neotropical dry habitats. Our goal is to unravel the abiotic processes acting over various spatial and temporal scales that are responsible for modern distributions of dry forest birds. Email: oswaldj3@gmail.com | ||
 | Xiaoting Xu I am interested in species distribution and diversity and their response on climate change. My PhD project mainly focus on Quercus species which are important components of tropical to temperate forests. I already constructed a global distribution and species traits database of Quercus and try to understand how climate and evolution history influence the distribution and richness of Quercus and how they interact with species traits. Email: Xiaoting.Xu@bio.ku.dk | ||
| MSc Students | |||
 | Teis Adrian My main interest is the effects of motivation in locally based participatory monitoring in developing regions. In my thesis, I will focus on general patterns in motivation among local people and local scientists during a four-year long natural resource and biodiversity monitoring scheme in diverse regions in SE Asia, Africa and the Neo-Tropics. Furthermore, I will focus my study on a specific region and make a thorough survey of the motivational factors. The thesis is made in collaboration with the Danish consultancy agency NORDECO. Email: jalalab@gmail.com | ||
 | Marie Aggerbeck My main fields of interest are phylogenetics, population genetics and ancient genomic approaches. With my M.sc, I aim at resolving a phylogeny for a number of bird species within the Corvoidea, applying a multi-locus approach to place the taxa of 40 key species. Using several different genes, I will try to construct the overall phylogeny of this family, and will then be able to use these results to investigate the divergence between the species and the biogeographical patterns of these. Email: marieag10@gmail.com | ||
 | Christina Dahl My main fields of interests are conservation biology and science communication. For my Master’s Thesis, I will investigate visitor composition and learning in the protected area of Lille Vildmose, Northern Jutland. With 50 % of the world’s population living in cities, we are further from nature than ever before. Reconnection with nature is essential, if people are to care for and protect what is left. Large protected areas have the potential to convey experiences and knowledge of nature that can lead to attitude change towards conservation efforts. But who visit these areas, and how do you best communicate to visitors, the value of an area, and the management goals for it? In this study I am going to categorize visitors in Lille Vildmose based on their general environmental attitude and personal norms. I will then investigate if some types of communication attract certain people. I will also investigate knowledge and attitude change for people in different communication environments, to evaluate how best to increase knowledge about and cultivate a positive attitude towards PAs and conservation. Finally I will use follow-up interviews to look at possible effects on a larger timescale. Email: christinamdahl@hotmail.com | ||
 | Kasper Gade My field of interests are within the dynamic world of biodiversity, climate change and consequences and the inherent troubles with the communication of science The aim of my master thesis is to investigate the consequences of anthropogenic disturbances to the snail fauna biodiversity in freshwater environments in the wetlands bordering Lake Jipe, Kenya, in order to describe snail-borne disease transmission risks in different environmental setups. The study will additionally identify risk zones for humans and livestock for health management aspects and control interventions associated with snail-borne disease. Email: kasperg2@hotmail.com | ||
 | Signe S Gerlach In my Masters Thesis I will investigate nature quality in areas protected by §3 in the Danish nature conservation act. 40% of these areas are situated within areas also protected by the European Habitats Directive, which will allow me to investigate whether the highest nature quality is found inside or outside the Habitat areas. This knowledge will clarify how important the §3-protected nature is outside Habitat areas, on the national level. The investigation will be based on botanical and structural data collected by the Danish Nature Agency and will also include field trips. Email: signe.sofie@gmail.com | ||
 | Marie Simone Glahn My main interests are conservation biology and botany. In this study I investigate the effects of grazing on the vegetation in the light open forest, Tofte Skov in Lille Vildmose, Northern Jutland. How the grazers (deer’s and wild boars) affect floristic and structural diversity and, in general, the dynamics of the clearing-forest matrix will be covered within this study and management from a biodiversity perspective discussed. Email: marie_glahn@hotmail.com | ||
 | Louise Holst Hemmingsen My field of interests is mainly placed with the fauna. In my master thesis I will be looking at simple community based and scientific methods for environmental monitoring. I will be working for Nepenthes to assist in developing methods for investigating the effect of tourism on biodiversity. The field work will take place in Honduras in the spring of 2010. The study will be a part of the Nepenthes project Sustainable Tourism in Honduras, Phase II. The goal of the project is to create economical, social and environmental improvements through development of tourism, in and around villages at Pico Bonito National Park and Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge. Email: lohohe@gmail.com | ||
 | Angelique Greer Hjarding My areas of interests include conservation biology, biogeography and biodiversity. My master's thesis focus is on Chameleon conservation in East Africa. I plan to use distribution and biodiversity data to assess threats and create conservation priorities for approximately 60 species. This project will form a contribution to the Global Reptile Assessment, which is being coordinated by the IUCN Species Survival Commission. Email: angel@hjarding.dk | ||
 | Tilde Roland Høberg My main interests are conservation, biodiversity, and nature- and wildlife management. Karen and I study the grazing effects of red deer in fens (rigkær) located in the western part of Zealand. As red deer grazing patterns are approximately similar to cows, we want to investigate if the red deer as a wild living species can be part of the management of natural open areas that are normally grazed by cows for their preservation. Email: tilde83@me.com | ||
 | Randi Jacobsen My main areas of interest are conservation biology, biodiversity, applied ecology and nature management. The aim of my master thesis is to evaluate the effectiveness of one of the tools for protecting nature in Denmark (fredninger). In the study I will first investigate the purpose of the areas protected by this method. I will then select the areas protected to conserve nature or biodiversity. For these areas I will try to retrieve the plans for the maintenance of the areas nature and the supervision over the areas done by the municipalities. From this I will evaluate how well the protected area is actually conserved, and if the purpose of the protection is fulfilled. Email: randi_jacobsen@hotmail.com | ||
 | Paulina Jarosinska The aim of my master project is to update a database with newly discovered species of African amphibians. The next step will be analyse all that information in the light of climate change and socio-economic development in Africa. My special interest concerns environmental protection and amphibians conservation. Email: p.jarosinska@gmail.com | ||
 | Ann T. Johansen My main interest lies within Conservation biology including fauna biodiversity and population dynamics. My Master Thesis is focused on analyzing extinction debt in The Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania based on forest area and species numbers. In association with this study I will also discuss the effects of fragmentation, edges and connectivity’s influence on extinction debt and relate this to conservation priorities in the Eastern Arc Mountains. Email: annjohansen@hotmail.com | ||
 | Mathilde lerche- Jørgensen My main fields of interests are conservation and wildlife management. In my Master’s Thesis I will analyze the spatial behavior and habitat selection of the Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus, which breeds in the Wadden Sea area in Denmark. The population is currently declining; however, the reasons for the decline are still unknown. From my study I hope to identify factors, which are limiting the success of breeding Montagu’s Harriers in Denmark. I will use data from four males tagged with GPS-loggers. The loggers provide information about movement, e.g. position, height, acceleration and speed, which allows detailed analyses of each bird’s spatial behavior. I will investigate which foraging habitats are preferred by the birds and whether there is a temporal variation in spatial behavior e.g. due to stages in breeding cycle. Thanks to studies carried out on breeding birds in the Netherlands, I will be able to compare my results with data from other areas where the population is increasing. Email: mathildelerchej@gmail.com | ||
 | Simon Lindegaard We are investigating whether species richness of host specific herbivorous insects are dependent on plant nutrition (leaf N and P concentrations, C / N ratio). Insect species are divided into functional guilds (e.g. gall-forming insects vs. chewing / sucking insects) and selected species within guilds are examined. We examine the described relationship between pairs of sister species of Danish plants in such a way that plant phylogeny is taken into account. The project consist of a 1) bibliographic review of present knowledge of target species and 2) field collection of insects in Denmark. Email: simon_l@sol.dk | ||
 | Malthe Lund We are investigating whether species richness of host specific herbivorous insects are dependent on plant nutrition (leaf N and P concentrations, C / N ratio). Insect species are divided into functional guilds (e.g. gall-forming insects vs. chewing / sucking insects) and selected species within guilds are examined. We examine the described relationship between pairs of sister species of Danish plants in such a way that plant phylogeny is taken into account. The project consist of a 1) bibliographic review of present knowledge of target species and 2) field collection of insects in Denmark. Email: malthelund@gmail.com | ||
 | Mattias Lange Nielsen My main fields of interests are conservation biology and science communication. For my Master’s Thesis, I will investigate visitor composition and learning in the protected area of Lille Vildmose, Northern Jutland. With 50 % of the world’s population living in cities, we are further from nature than ever before. Reconnection with nature is essential, if people are to care for and protect what is left. Large protected areas have the potential to convey experiences and knowledge of nature that can lead to attitude change towards conservation efforts. But who visit these areas, and how do you best communicate to visitors, the value of an area, and the management goals for it? In this study I am going to categorize visitors in Lille Vildmose based on their general environmental attitude and personal norms. I will then investigate if some types of communication attract certain people. I will also investigate knowledge and attitude change for people in different communication environments, to evaluate how best to increase knowledge about and cultivate a positive attitude towards PAs and conservation. Finally I will use follow-up interviews to look at possible effects on a larger timescale. Email: mattias.nielsen@snm.ku.dk | ||
 | Troels Eske Ortvad My general field of interest is ornithology particularly the control and evolution of migratory behavior in birds. In my master thesis, I study the migration of inexperienced songbirds at The Faroe Islands far off their normal course. The experiments will be used to test the general hypothesis about the migration system in juvenile passerines and the phenomenon of long-distance vagrancy. Email: teortvad@gmail.com | ||
 | Karen Thirslund My main interests are terrestrial ecosystems, botany, plant physiology and nature management. I study the grazing effects of red deer in fens (rigkær) located in the western part of Zealand. As red deer grazing patterns are approximately similar to cows, we want to investigate if the red deer as a wild living species can be part of the management of natural open areas that are normally grazed by cows for their preservation. Email: kthirslund@hotmail.com | ||
 | Helen Verjux (visiting) My main interests are the management of natural resources and the conservation of natural ecosystems. Thus, I think that the environment issue is one of the most important problems we will have to deal with in the next years. That is why I want to invest myself in it and to try to make things change. Here at the Center I will work with Jacob Heilmann-Clausen, Christina Dahl and Mattias Lange Nielsen on a project about people’s attitude in the protected area of Lille Vildmose. I will also assist with fieldwork on the butterfly Maculinea alcon with Andreas Kelager and David Nash, respectively in Thy and Læsø Email: helenverjux@gmail.com | ||
| Technical and Administrative Staff | |||
 | Martin Lund I work with the day to day administrative tasks at the centre. All questions and administrative issues regarding the centre can be directed to me. My education is contemporary history and international cooperation. Email: mlund@bio.ku.dk | ||
 | Anne-Mette Høeg Andersen I am a biologist working for Professor Neil Burgess in the conservation group. I support the group in all aspects concerning conservation research, communication, administration, and field work mainly focused on nature reserves in Denmark. My main responsibility is to facilitate networking between university based research and practical nature management involving the Aage V. Jensen Foundation, stakeholders, NGOs, students etc. I have a background in research concerning shark behavior and public awareness related to shark conservation as well as bird diversity and conservation in Denmark and Greenland. Email: AMHAndersen@bio.ku.dk | ||
