Career opportunities and former group members

Postdoc fellowship

If you're interested in securing a grant to support a postdoctoral position in our lab, there are several opportunities available, such as the IGB Fellowship, DFG Fellowship, Benjamin Walter Fellowship, Humboldt Fellowship, Marie-Curie Fellowship, Rising Star Fellowship. We encourage you to reach out and discuss how we can collaborate on your application.

Master/Bachelor project

We are eager to welcome proactive students who wish to explore their own novel research questions under our guidance and develop projects in various research areas. Potential topics could include examining the effects of environmental stressors (such as climate change) on aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity research using modern DNA-sequencing methods, experimental evolution, and more. If you’re interested, please contact us to discuss your ideas.

What Do We Offer? We provide an inspiring atmosphere within an international research group (as of September 2024, our team consists of sixteen members from nine different nationalities). You will receive the appropriate level of guidance and supervision for your project, while also having the space to work independently. We offer a genuine research experience that will benefit your future career, whether within or outside academia. Many of our previous students have achieved significant success, with Master’s and Bachelor’s projects often leading to peer-reviewed publications. Check below to see what our former students have accomplished.

Former group members

• Kyla Sehner (MSc student: 2023). After MSc: technical assistant at IGB
• Nele Guttmann (MSc student: 2023) 
• Lukas Webb (MSc student: 2023). After MSc: working at a biotech company
• Pauline Thomé (MSc student: 2023). MSc thesis resulted in the following publications: Thomé et al. 2023, Biology Letters; Thomé et al. 2024, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. After MSc: PhD at IGB
• Florent Manzi (PhD student: 2018-2021). PhD thesis available here. After PhD: postdoc at Université catholique de Louvain
• Joe Money (exchange PhD student: 2022; funded by Polish National Science Center)
• Ramsy Agha (postdoc: 2014-2021; funded by Humboldt Research Fellowship and DFG Individual Research Grant). After IGB postdoc: biology teacher
• Kingsly Chuo Beng (postdoc: 2021; funded by International IGB Fellowship Program). After IGB postdoc: Postdoc at Alfred-Wegener-Institut AWI, Germany
• Paula Schlösser (MSc student: 2021). MSc thesis contributed to the following publication: Manzi, Schlösser et al. 2023, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. After MSc: technical assistant at IGB
• Agata Owczarz (Erasmus student: 2021)
• Ursula Newen (technical assistant: 2014-2021)
• Stylianos Mavrianos (Erasmus student: 2021). Project resulted in the following publication: Mavrianos et al. 2023, Freshwater Biology. After MSc: PhD at the University of Hamburg
• Antonia Aalders (MSc student: 2021). After MSc: biology teacher
• Nele Guttmann (BSc student: 2021) 
• Noemi Azoubib (BSc student: 2021). BSc thesis contributed to the following publication: Mavrianos, (…), Azoubib, et al. 2023, Freshwater Biology. 
• Marcin Dziuba (exchange PhD student: 2018 and 2020; funded by DAAD and Polish National Science Center). After PhD: Postdoc at University of Michigan
• Louise Seemann (BSc student: 2020). BSc thesis contributed to the following publication: Manzi, Seemann et al. 2021, Parasitology
• Marc Wagner (MSc student: 2020)
• Mellery Dundr (BSc student: 2020)
• Jessica Jarecki (BSc student: 2020)
• Charlotte Schampera (MSc student: 2020). MSc thesis resulted in the following publication: Schampera et al. 2021, Environmental Pollution. After MSc: research assistant at the IGB and PhD student at HU Berlin
• Nesar Ghadernezhad (MSc student: 2019). MSc thesis contributed to the following publication: de Souza Machado, Ghadernezhad et al., 2023, Environmental Sciences Europe
• Thijs Frenken (postdoc: 2018-2019; funded by International IGB Fellowship Program). After IGB postdoc: Postdoc at NIOO, Netherlands.
• Bruno Kenji Ortiz-Cañavate Ozeki (MSc student: 2018). MSc thesis resulted in the following publication: Ortiz-Cañavate et al. 2019, Chemosphere
• Manja Saebelfeld (PhD student: 2014-2017). PhD thesis available here. After PhD: postdoc at the Wageningen University, the Netherlands
• Dilara Ogretmen (Erasmus student: 2016-2017)
• Melanie Gerphagnon (postdoc: 2016-2017; funded by International IGB Fellowship Program)
• Tatiana Semanova (postdoc: 2017; funded by International IGB Fellowship Program). After IGB postdoc: Postdoc at the University of Kansas
• Yari Osenberg (BSc student: 2016)
• Alina Gross (MSc student: 2016). MSc thesis contributed to the following publications: Agha, Gross et al. 2018, Parasitology; Agha, Gross et al. 2018, Frontiers in Microbiology. After MSc: Biology teacher
• Enrique Gonzalez Tortuero (PhD student: 2013-2016). PhD thesis available here. After PhD: Postdoc at University College Cork, Ireland
• Johanna Griebel (PhD student: 2012-2016). PhD thesis available here. After PhD: Data scientist in a private company in Munich, Germany
• Christin Manthey (BSc student: 2015). BSc thesis contributed to the following publication: Agha, Manthey et al. 2016, Scientific Reports. After BSc/MSc: PhD student at FU Berlin
• Jakub Rusek (PhD student: 2012-2015). PhD thesis available here. After PhD: Coordinator at European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC), Brussels, Belgium
• Inbar Maayan (Erasmus student: 2014). Project contributed to the following publications: Gonzalez-Tortuero, Maayan et al. 2016, Zoology; Gonzalez-Tortuero, Maayan et al. 2016, Parasites & Vectors. After Erasmus project: PhD student at Harvard University
• Sabine Giessler (postdoc: 2012-2014)
• Amanda Navas Faria (MSc student: 2013). Winner of the 7th LMU EES annual conference: best presentation of the MSc Project. MSc thesis contributed to the following publication: Griebel, Navas Faria et al. 2015, PLoS one. After MSc: PhD student at Georg-August-University Göttingen
• Gokce Ayan (MSc student: 2013). Poster prize at the international SEFS conference in Münster, 2013. MSc thesis contributed to the following publication: Rusek, Ayan et al. 2015, Journal of Plankton Research. After MSc: PhD student at the Max Planck Institute, Kiel
• Felicitas Buchberger (MSc student: 2013). After MSc: PhD student at LMU Munich
• Monika Poxleitner (MSc student: 2012). Winner of the 6th EES annual conference: best presentation of the MSc Project. MSc thesis contributed to the following publication: Griebel, Poxleitner et al. 2015, PLoS one. After MSc: PhD student at LMU Munich
• Mingbo Yin (PhD student: 2009-2011). Winner of the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Students Abroad. PhD thesis available here. After PhD: Assistant Professor at Fudan University, Shanghai, China
• Stefanie Weigl (Diploma student: 2011). Diploma thesis resulted in the following publication: Weigl et al. 2012, Parasitology. After Diploma: MSc student at TU Munich
• Isara Arsiranant (Diploma student: 2010). After Diploma: working at Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center in Thailand
• Olivia Hesse (Diploma student: 2010). Diploma thesis resulted in the following publication: Hesse et al. 2012, BMC Ecology. After Diploma: PhD student at LMU Munich
• Wolfgang Engelbrecht (Diploma student: 2010). After Diploma: PhD student at LMU Munich
• Jennifer Lohr (MSc student: 2009). MSc thesis resulted in the following publications: Lohr et al. 2010, Parasitology; Lohr et al. 2010, J Eukaryotic Microbiology. After MSc: PhD student at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland
• Other BSc students: Anna May: 2013; Clarissa Mathieson: 2012; Corinna Sachs: 2012; Helena Macke: 2011; Felicitas Buchberger: 2011; Eva Kluzik: 2010