NEWS: Research activities of VDSEE PhD-candidates
Poster prize for Savannah Schaufler
Photo credits: Barbara Mair
Poster prize for Savannah Schaufler
Savannah Schaufler and Tatiana Konrad’s poster “Plastics, Cultural-Environmental Toxicity, and Air” presented by Savannah Schaufler at the International Summer School “Environment and Planetary Health” (Université Paris Est Créteil & University of Paris Cité) has won the “Best Poster” award. This research addresses air’s materiality. Savannah presented on how violence and toxicity are perpetrated via airborne plastics, emphasizing the environmental and health impacts of this problem. Congratulations to Savannah!
This research was funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) [10.55776/P34790]. More information can be found here.
Emil Boral fellowship for Patrick Jambura
Emil Boral fellowship for Patrick Jambura
Patrick L. Jambura is a PhD-candidate in the group of Jürgen Kriwet. He studies the evolution of sharks and rays using morphological, molecular, and paleontological data within a phylogenetic framework. His research focuses on the drivers behind their success as meso- and apex predators in both modern and past environments. As a member of the MECO project, a citizen science initiative, he contributes to conservation biology by collecting data on sharks and rays in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Emil Boral fellowship is awarded to young Academics in Austria and Switzerland and covers 25.000 €.
Our PhD students:
Research Groups:
- Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics
- Bio-Oceanography and Marine Biology
- Environmental Change and Biodiversity
- Evolutionary Anthropology
- Evolutionary Zoology and Palaeobiology
- Limnology
- Molecular Evolution and Development
- Molecular Systems Biology
- Plant Evolutionary Biology
- Theoretical Evolutionary Biology
- Tropical Ecology and Animal Biodiversity
Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics:
Maximilian Dreer
Supervisor: Christa Schleper
Thesis topic: Biofilm formation and transformation of Ammonia Oxidizing Archaea
Marina Monserrat Díez
Angus Hilts
Erika Wimmer
Supervisor: Christa Schleper
Topic: Alternative functions of type III-B CRISPR-Cas systems beyond antiviral defense
Anastasiia Padalko
Supervisor: Filipa Sousa
Topic: Metabolic traits prediction and validation in Archaea
Barbara Reischl
Hayk Palabikyan
Supervisor: Simon Rittmann
Topic: Converting carbon dioxide into bioplastics
Thomas Pribasnig
Supervisor: Schleper Christa
Topic: Energy and carbon metabolism of Nitrososphaeria
Val Karavaeva (they/he)
Supervisor: Filipa Sousa
Topic: Rings of life and where to find them: evolution of tetrapyrroles
Nicole Catherina Krause
Walter Hofmann
Bio-Oceanography and Marine Biology:
Sebastian Valerio Aymerich
Michaela Berensmeier
Guillem Coll García
Tina Palme
Alexandra Haselmair
Supervisor: Martin Zuschin
Topic: Historical ecology of the northern Adriatic sea: spatial and temoral distribution of the high biomass epifauna
Angelina Ivkic
Supervisor: Martin Zuschin
Topic: Red Sea coral reefs: A Pleistocene - Recent comparison
Petra Lukeneder
Supervisor: Martin Zuschin
Topic: Morphometry, taphonomy and geochemistry of late Triassic coleoids from the Polzberg Konservat-Lagerstätte near Lunz am See (Carnian, Reingraben shales, Lower Austria).
Giulia Marchioro
Philipp Pröts
Supervisor: Jörg Ott
Topic: Morphological adaptations to the symbiotic life-style of Stilbonematinae (Desmodoroidea, Nematoda)
Daniel Martinovic Saavedra
Supervisor: Federico Baltar
Topic: The role of enzyme promiscuity on organic phosphorus cycling in the ocean
Marilena Heitger
Supervisor: Gerhard Herndl
Topic: Shedding light on dark ocean’s detrital particles: origin, composition, and age
Teresa Maria Rosa Winter
Dmytro Spriahailo
Isabella Leonhard
Environmental Change and Biodiversity
Michaela Berensmeier
Florian Danzinger
Tobias Schernhammer
Alexandra Haselmair
Supervisor: Martin Zuschin
Topic: Historical ecology of the northern Adriatic sea: spatial and temoral distribution of the high biomass epifauna
Johannes Hausharter
Supervisor: Stefan Dullinger
Topic: The role of micro-climate and micro-environment for population dynamics of alpine plants
Norbert Helm
Supervisor: Stefan Dullinger, Karl Hülber, Dietmar Moser, Johannes Wessely
Topic: Linking the micro- with the macroscale in alpine plant ecology
Angelina Ivkic
Supervisor: Martin Zuschin
Topic: Red Sea coral reefs: A Pleistocene - Recent comparison
Ekin Kaplan
Supervisor: Franz Essl
Topic: Temporal Changes and underlying Drivers of the Richness and Composition of Eu-rope’s Native and Non-Native Flora
Chytrý Kryštof
Supervisor: Stefan Dullinger
Topic: Effects of microclimate on distribution patterns of high alpine flora
Elias Nikolas Kapitany
Petra Lukeneder
Supervisor: Martin Zuschin
Topic: Morphometry, taphonomy and geochemistry of late Triassic coleoids from the Polzberg Konservat-Lagerstätte near Lunz am See (Carnian, Reingraben shales, Lower Austria).
Ana Isabel Martinez Richart
Rym S. Nouioua
Supervisor: Stefan Dullinger and Bea Maas
Topic: Birds, bats and related ecosystem services in a European land-use context: linking conservation knowledge, agricultural practices and socio-ecological perspectives
Clemens Pachschwöll
Supervisor: Franz Essl
Topic: Detecting ‘invaders in disguise’ DNA barcoding of invasive plant species in Austria
Sonia Rashid
Supervisor: Stefan Dullinger
Topic: Modelling climate-driven range changes of European butterflies and their host plants - do transient dynamics matter?
Parvin Safiyan Böldaji
Supervisor: Stefan Dullinger
Topic: Habitat suitability of the Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) and its primary prey species in north-eastern Iran
Anna Schertler
Supervisor: Franz Essl
Topic: Macroecological perspectives in invasion biology – examining drivers of fungal and plant invasion patterns and processes
Tom Vorstenbosch
Supervisor: Stefan Dullinger, Franz Essl
Topic: Modelling the future of biological invasions in the sub-Antarctic under climate change
Pablo Aycart Lazo
Supervisor: Bea Maas and Stefan Dullinger
Topic: Functional diversity and interactions of birds, bats and arthropods in tropical cacao agroforestry systems: linking biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service management
Gilles Colling
Evolutionary Anthropology
Jeannette Becker
Leo Capari
Supervisor: Harald Wilfing
Topic: Anatomy of challenge driven R&I: The cases of energy transition and demographic change
Aigerim Rymbekova
Supervisor: Martin Kuhlwilm
Topic: Reconstructing the genetic history of Central Eurasia
Tobias Göllner
Supervisor: Martin Fieder, Helmut Schaschl
Topic: The Peopling of Asia: Genetic Ancestry, Population Structure, Demography and Natural Selection
Sonja Kuderer
Supervisor: Martin Fieder, Sylvia Kirchengast
Topic: An interdisciplinary approach: the co-evolution of handedness, sensation seeking and anxiety
Savannah Schaufler
Supervisor: Harald Wilfing, Tatiana Konrad
Topic: Sustainability Reset: Questions of Behavioral and Cultural Changes Revealed by COVID-19
Katarina Matiasek
Supervisor: Harald Wilfing
Topic: Incorporations. Stereo Photography in Anthropology
Victoria Oberreiter
Supervisor: Ron Pinhasi, Thomas Rattei
Topic: Mineralogical Preservation of the Human Biome from the Depth of Time (MINERVA)
Inga Stolbovaya
Supervisor: Fred Bookstein, Gerhard Weber
Topic: 3D morphometric analysis of the human cranium for the investigation of posterior discrepancy
Constanze Hedwig Schattke
Supervisor: Harald Wilfing, Sabine Eggers
Topic: Witnesses of Violence? Combining Bioarchaeology and Provenance to research violence in the acquisition contexts of human remains in the Department of Anthropology, Natural History Museum Vienna from 1857 – 1935
Marcel Seifert
Supervisor: Harald Wilfing
Topic: Walk It Like You Talk It: Closing the Value-Action Gap in Climate Action with Experimental Evidence
Emily Pigott
Supervisor: Thomas Higham
Topic: Re-assessing human and faunal remains from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic archaeological sites within the Crimean Peninsula, using more recent protocols of radiocarbon dating.
Petra Simkova
Supervisor: Gerhard Weber
Topic: Morphological variation and covariation in human postcanine dentition
Magdalena T. Srienc-Ściesiek
Supervisor: Sylvia Kirchengast, Sabine Ladstätter
Topic: Lifeways of the early medieval Slavs: A bioarchaeological examination of diet and health based on the human remains from three cemeteries north and south of the Karawanken Mountains
Paul Klostermann
Supervisor: Sabine Eggers
Topic: Adolescence in the Early Medieval Age. A Bioarchaeological Analysis of Pubertal Timing in Central Europe.
Elöd Úry
Supervisor: Gerhard Weber
Topic: A 4D study of the mandibular guiding system: An integrated geometric morphometric approach
Brina Zagorc
Supervisor: Maria Ivanova-Bieg, Ron Pinhasi
Topic: Sex-specific variations in the health status of subadult Central European skeletal populations during Antiquity and Early Medieval times
Liesa Geppner
Supervisor: Maja Henjakovic, Harald Wilfing
Topic: Micro- and nanoplastic: Methodology for extraction and detection of plastic particles from human blood and mammalian tissue.
Arne Bielke
Konstantina Cheshmedzhieva
Michelle Hämmerle
Thomas Beard
Evolutionary Zoology and Palaeobiology
Arnaud Begat
Supervisor: Jürgen Kriwet
Topic: Mesozoic elasmobranch fish (sharks, skates, and rays) ecology and diversity patterns before extinction events
Julian Bibermair
Supervisor: Thomas Schwaha
Topic: Evolution of phylactolaemate bryozoans
Sebastian H. Decker
Supervisor: Thomas Schwaha
Topic: Life cycle and systematics of boring bryozoans
Julia Türtscher
Supervisor: Jürgen Kriwet
Topic: Taxonomic and systematic significance of dental traits in elasmobranch fishes
Willy De Mattia
Supervisor: Elisabeth Haring, Gerhard Steiner
Topic: Anatomical revision of Alopiinae (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Clausiliidae): TesIng genital characters in clausiliid systematics
Margret Eckhard
Supervisor: Andreas Wanninger
Topic: Glue characterization in centipedes
Iris Fischer
Supervisor: Elisabeth Haring
Topic: Ecological status of aquatic habitats in Vienna: critical comparison of classical monitoring and molecular genetic methods to assess species distribution and composition of the dragonfly fauna
June Feliciano Fronda Ordonez
Supervisor: Tim Wollesen
Topic: Neuronal cell type development in the chaetognath Spadella cephaloptera
Sophie Greistorfer
Supervisor: Gerhard Steiner
Topic: Glowing mucus; Characterisation of the unique defence secretion of Latia neritoides (Gastropoda)
Anna-Maria Sabine Salgado-Gschwandner
Supervisor: Robert Ptacnik
Topic: Remoteness and size as determinants of Lake Ecosystem stability (RemoLake)
Manuel A. Staggl
Patrick Leopold Jambura
Supervisor: Jürgen Kriwet
Topic: Evolutionary history and trait evolution in sharks (Selachimorpha; Chondrichthyes): Remembering the past and imaging the future of an apex predator.
Mildred Jessica Johnson
Supervisor: Thomas Schwaha
Topic: The life cycle and systematics of the boring ctenostome bryozoan families Immergentiidae and Spathiporidae
Claudia Klimpfinger
Giulia Marchioro
Katharina Mason
Supervisor: Elisabeth Haring
Topic: When genetics contradicts morphology: How does this affect our species concepts?
Katharina Wechselberger
Supervisor: Harald Krenn
Topic: Analysis of the main factors influencing the behavior of wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) as a basis for the optimization of available crop protection measures on arable land
Gudrun Schwarze
Supervisor: Andreas Wanninger
Topic: Evolution and Development of worm snails (Vermetidae)
Anna-Chiara Barta
Cristian Camilo Barrera Grijalba
Alice Frisinghelli
Limnology
Pamela Alessandra Baur
Supervisor: Stephan Glatzel
Topic: Greenhouse gas exchanges of special wetland ecosystems in Austria
Pratiksha Acharya
Supervisor: Christian Griebler, Katrin Attermeyer, Simon Vitecek
Topic: Influence of resource and consumer diversity on the quality and microbial processing of fine particulate organic matter during leaf breakdown in streams
Constanze Englisch
Anna-Maria Sabine Gschwandner
Supervisor: Robert Ptacnik
Topic: Remoteness and size as determinants of Lake Ecosystem stability (RemoLake)
Alice Retter
Supervisor: Christian Griebler, Fede Baltar, Henrik Nilsson
Topic: Vulnerability and response of microbial groundwater communities in alpine regions to anthropogenic impacts and climate change.
Francine Mathieu
Supervisor: Martin Kainz
Topic: Temporal dynamics of plankton food webs and sediments of young gravel
pit lakes.
Sonja Hoxha
Stefano Mari
Supervisor: Martin Kainz, Libor Zavorka
Topic: The importance of dietary omega 3 fatty acids for development of cognitive skills in wild fishes through the lens of Tingbergen’s four
Filip-Paul Boanca
John Lester Viscara Pide
Supervisor: Christian Griebler
Topic: Intrinsic potential and activity of nitrate turnover
examined for different hydrogeological aquifer settings
Molecular Evolution and Development
Isha Joshi
Supervisor: Peter Schlögelhofer
Topic: Uncovering the Interrelation of DNA damage and Pathogen Response Pathways
Lisa Rouressol
Andreas Denner
Supervisor: Ulrich Technau
Topic: Characterization of putative stem cell marker genes in Nematostella vectensis
Patricio Ferrer Murguia
Supervisor: Ulrich Technau
Topic: Red Sea coral reefs: A Pleistocene - Recent comparison
Lubna Younas
Supervisor: Qi Zhou
Topic: Molecular mechanisms of tissue-specific dosage compensation in Drosophila species
Paul Knabl
Supervisor: Grigory Genikhovich
Topic: BMP signaling in the cnidarian germ line
Koto Kon
Supervisor: Oleg Simakov
Topic: Elucidating the role of transposable element activity in hydra regeneration
Oliver Link
Supervisor: Ulrich Technau
Topic: On the origin and evolution of striated muscle cells: Insights into muscle cell transcriptomes from striated muscles of cnidarian jellyfish
Sanjay Narayanaswamy
Supervisor: Ulrich Technau
Topic: Assessing senescence in the regenerative and long lived Nematostella vectensis
Molecular Systems Biology
Fariha Naz Apon
Supervisor: Peter Schlögelhofer, Marie-Theres Hauser
Topic: Functions of cell wall integrity sensors in plant stress responses
Iro Pierides
Yovita Astuti Djohan
Supervisor: Stefanie Wienkoop
Topic: Stress-induced Pea-omics: Messire vs. Protecta
Shuang Zhang
Supervisor: Wolfram Weckwerth
Topic: Spatial Variability of Wheat Grain Protein Quality and Its Physiological Mechanism in Response to Different Ratios of Basal Nitrogen Fertilizer to Topdressing Nitrogen Fertilizer
Maryam Alsadat Zekri
Supervisor: Ingeborg Lang, Daniel Tholen
Topic: Water’s gateway to heaven 3D imaging and modeling of transient stomatal responses in plant leaves under dynamic environments
Hannes Kramml
Supervisor: Wolfram Weckwerth
Topic: Long-term implications of ancient polyploids: CAM as a key evolutionary innovation in Clusia spp.
Madeleine Schnurer
Supervisor: Verena Ibl
Topic: Characterization of TOL proteins in barley
Carlos A. Pérez Rízquez
Labgruppe
Supervisor: Stefanie Wienkoop
Topic: Underlying mechanism(s) of the symbioprotein ferritin on legume root nodule formation and drought stress
Julian Preiner
Supervisor: Stefanie Wienkoop
Topic: Changes in C/N-metabolic processes and heavy metal stress response of leguminous plants (Glycine max) and their symbiotic partners during tungsten (W) and olybdenum (Mo) induced stress: An integrated proteomic, metabolomic and physiologic assessment.
Stefan Plott
Supervisor: Wolfram Weckwerth, Verena Ibl
Topic: "ESCRT-Proteins and TOR as Regulators of Protein Turnover in Barley Grains"
Elisa Montrucchio
Caroline Ivesic
Luigi Schillaci
Plant Evolutionary Biology
Teerna Saugata Khastgir
Supervisor: Ovidiu Paun
Topic: Comparative genomics and population genomics of the adaptive radiation of Diospyros on New Caledonia, a biodiversity hotspot
Sadia Sabrina Alam
Supervisor: Andreas Bachmair
Topic: The role of post-translational modifications (PTMs) in plant stress resilience
Johannes Maximilian Braunisch
Supervisor: Gerald Schneeweis
Topic: What determines distribution limits of range-restricted species in high-mountain habitats?
Lukas Dirr
Supervisor: Friðgeir Grímsson
Topic: The Application of Citizen-Science and Crowd-Sourced Data in the Field of Aerobiology
Florian Etl
Supervisor: Stefan Dötterl, Jürg Schönenberger
Topic: Mechanisms of reproductive isolation and adaptations to different pollinators in complex pollination networks of tropical Araceae.
Christian Geier
Supervisor: Friðgeir Grímsson
Topic: Flower-insect interactions in the Eocene to Oligocene of Central Europe
Bushra Ijaz
Vildana Kapetanovic
Supervisor: Hanna Schneeweiss
Topic: Diversity and evolution of chili peppers, the genus Capsicum (Solanaceae)
Karen Kölzer
Supervisor: Martina Weber
Topic: Authenticity of urban honey: Specific challenges for palynology and how diversification of methods can overcome them
Constantin Kopper
Supervisor: Jürg Schönenberger, Agnes Dellinger
Topic: Pollinations syndromes, pollinator shifts and floral evolution in Melastomataceae
Anna-Sophie Hawranek
Clemens Pachschwöll
Supervisor: Franz Essl, Gerald Schneeweiss
Topic: Detecting ‘invaders in disguise’ DNA barcoding of invasive plant species in Austria
Martin Rose
Supervisor: Michael Kiehn
Topic: Impact of trade restrictions on species survival
Benjamin Seth Lazarus
Francesca Beclin
Amin Ghane
Xieting Wu
Theoretical Evolutionary Biology
Nina Kraus
Supervisor: Brian Metscher
Topic: Hemodynamic influences on heart morphogenesis of the developing chick outflow tract
Katharina Stefke
Supervisor: Philipp Mitteröcker, Frank Zachos
Topic: Morphometric and non-metric analyses in intraspecific variation in the red deer (Cervus elaphus) and their bearing upon evolutionary history and taxonomy
Inga Stolbovaya
Supervisor: Fred Bookstein, Gerhard Weber
Topic: 3D morphometric analysis of the human cranium for the investigation of posterior discrepancy
Tropical Ecology and Animal Biodiversity
Barbara Waringer
Supervisor: Christian H. Schulze
Topic: Clutch predation risk in ground nesting birds: effects of predator identity, habitat features and landscape structure.