Educational Background

Since June 2016

• Postdoctoral position at IGB Berlin (‘Eigene Stelle’ in DFG-funded project ‘Exploring the consequences of social responsiveness on leadership using an interactive biomimetic robotic fish’. BI 1828/2-1)

December 2015 – May 2016

• Parental leave

August 2013 – May 2016

• Postdoctoral position at IGB Berlin (Project: BTypes: “Consequences of animal behavioral types”, AG Prof. Dr. Jens Krause/Dr. Max Wolf)

October 2013

• Defense of my cumulative dissertation: “Mate choice in communication networks – the role of an audience”, awarded as best dissertation in the life sciences at Goethe University in 2013

September 2011 - March 2012

• Parental leave

March 2010

• Start at work (PhD thesis) in the group of Prof. Dr. Bruno Streit, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Goethe University of Frankfurt/Main. PhD supervisor: Prof. Dr. Martin Plath

October 2009 - February 2010

• Internship Zoo Frankfurt (Marketing and Communication unit)

May 2009 - October 2009

• Research assistant (HiWi) at the BIOTA West Africa project, advisor: Prof. Dr. Karl-Eduard Linsenmair, Department of Tropical Biology, Julius-Maximilians University of Würzburg

08th April 2009

• Diploma thesis: “Die Fischdiversität im Fluss Niger und temporären Teichen (Whedos) in Malanville, Nord Benin” at the Department of Tropical Biology, supervisor: Prof. Dr. Karl-Eduard Linsenmair

2003 - 2009 

• Study of biology at the Julius-Maximilians University of Würzburg, major subject: tropical biology/animal ecology, minor subjects: microbiology and cell biology

1994 - 2003 

• Grammar School (“Gymnasium”), Kaltensundheim, Germany

1990 - 1994 

• Primary School, Empfertshausen, Germany

Awards and Grants

2016            

• DFG research grant ‘Funding for temporary positions for principal investigators (“Eigene Stelle”)’ for the project ‘Exploring the consequences of social responsiveness on leadership using an interactive biomimetic robotic fish’ BI 1828/2-1

2015            

• Research grant by the „Gesellschaft für Ichthyologie (GfI)“ for the project „Invasive fish species in thermally altered freshwaters in Germany”

2014            

• Award “Preis der Vereinigung von Freunden und Förderern der Goethe-Universität für den naturwissenschaftlichen Nachwuchs” for my dissertation

2008            

• Travel grant from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for field research in Borneo/Malaysia

Field and foreign experience

Spring 2016 

• 2-weeks field trip to Tabasco, Mexico, with Prof. Dr. Jens Krause

Spring 2015 

• 2-weeks field trip to Tabasco, Mexico, with Prof. Dr. Jens Krause

Summer/autumn 2012

• 3-month research visit in the group of Prof. Dr. Ingo Schlupp at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA, various field trips to Texas, USA

Summer 2012

• 1-month visit to Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago, field trips with Prof. Dr. Dr. Manfred Schartl, University of Würzburg, Germany

Since summer 2011

• Repeated field trips to sites with introduced feral guppies in Germany (“Gillbach/Erft”)

Summer 2011

•  1-month field excursion to Tabasco, Mexico, supervision of students from the Goethe University of Frankfurt/Main

Autumn 2010

• 2-month research visit in the group of Prof. Dr. Ingo Schlupp at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA, various field trips to Texas, USA

Summer 2010

• 1-month field excursion to Tabasco, Mexico, co-supervision of students from the Goethe University of Frankfurt/Main and the University of Potsdam

Summer 2008

• 4-month field trip to Malanville, Benin (West Africa) for my diploma thesis

Spring 2007

• 2-month field trip to Gunung Mulu National Park, Borneo, Malaysia, work on species diversity and habitat selection of tropical leaf litter ants (Group of PD. Dr. Martin Pfeiffer, University of Ulm)