Profile
Abstract
Since 2014, Nico Eisenhauer is Full Professor (W3) for Experimental Interaction Ecology at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig and Leipzig University. Moreover he is Speaker of the Jena Experiment, Head of the iDiv Ecotron and the MyDiv Experiment.
From 2000-2005 he studied at the TU Darmstadt and obtained his diploma in animal ecology with distinction. Following this he did his doctoral studies at the TU Darmstadt on the subject „Earthworms in a plant diversity gradient: Direct and indirect effects on plant competition and establishment" and has been awarded the doctorate (summa cum laude) in 2008. In 2012, he became Postdoc at the TU Munich, Emmy Noether group leader at the TU Munich and habilitated at the Georg August University Göttingen (Venia Legendi in Ecology and Zoology). From 2012 – 2014, he worked as Associate Professor (W2) for Terrestrial Ecology at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena.
Professional career
- since 04/2014
Full Professor (W3) for Experimental Interaction Ecology, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig and Leipzig University - 11/2012 - 03/2014
Associate Professor (W2) for Terrestrial Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena - 08/2012 - 10/2012
Emmy Noether group leader (funded by DFG), Technical University München - 04/2012 - 07/2012
Postdoc in the lab of Prof. Wolfgang W. Weisser, Technical University München - 07/2010 - 03/2012
Postdoc in the lab of Prof. Peter B. Reich, University of Minnesota (funded by DFG): Aboveground–belowground interactions in a changing world - 07/2008 - 06/2010
Postdoc in the Jena Experiment, Darmstadt University of Technology and Georg August University Göttingen. Subproject Decomposer Interaction Webs
Education
- 07/2012
Habilitation (Venia Legendi in Ecology and Zoology), Georg August University Göttingen - 07/2005 - 06/2008
Ph.D. at the Darmstadt University of Technology, Title: "Earthworms in a plant diversity gradient: Direct and indirect effects on plant competition and establishment" (summa cum laude), Supervisor: Prof. Dr. S. Scheu - 06/2005
Diploma in Biology at the Darmstadt University of Technology, Diploma thesis: "Invasion of a deciduous forest by earthworms: Changes in soil chemistry, microflora, microarthropods and vegetation" (certified biologist with distinction) - 10/2000 - 06/2005
Study of Biology at the Darmstadt University of Technology - 06/1999
Abitur at the Martin-Luther Gymnasium Rimbach (final grade 1.0; with distinction)
Environmental change is altering the composition and functioning of the earth’s ecosystems. We aim to embrace the complexity of terrestrial ecosystems by considering interactions among organisms above and below the ground as well as within and across trophic levels.
Our main questions are:
- How does environmental change affect the composition and biodiversity of ecosystems?
- How are shifts in community composition and biodiversity related to the functioning and service provisioning of ecosystems?
We answer these questions in biodiversity and climate change experiments as well as in observation studies. We focus on the taxonomic and functional composition of food webs and the processes they drive. Global meta-analyses and syntheses allow us to identify general principles across ecosystems. We believe that interdisciplinary research advances our understanding of the composition and functioning of ecological communities, how they function in a changing world, and how this is related to human well-being.
In collaboration with other groups in the Institute of Biology, my lab group offers integrative courses for bachelor, master, and PhD students. For bachelor students, we teach an introductory course into ecology and offer extra-curricular classes on good scientific practice, data management, and statistics. For master students, we provide in-depth classes on biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships. My lab group provides a broad range of thesis topics, and we help motivated students to publish their findings in scientific journals. In the graduate school yDiv, we contribute to an introductory course into integrative biodiversity research and offer close supervision and mentoring.
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Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning in Terrestrial Ecosystems
11-BIO-0820
Master module: lecture with Prof. Dr. Alexandra Weigelt and Prof. Dr. Christian Wirth; pratical with Prof. Dr. Alexandra Weigelt, Dr. Simone Cesarz, Dr. Katie Barry
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Introduction to Ecology
11-BIO-0523
Bachelor module: lecture with Prof. Dr. Christian Wirth; practical mit Prof. Dr. Alexandra Weigelt, Dr. Simone Cesarz
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Introduction to scientific methods
11-BIO-0515
Bachelor module: lecture with Prof. Dr. Thomas Magin, Prof. Dr. Marc Schönwiesner, Prof. Dr. Christian Wirth, Prof. Dr. François Buscot, Prof. Dr. Alexandra Muellner-Riehl, Prof. Dr. Hauke Harms, Prof. Dr. Franziska Krajinski, Prof. Dr. Andreas S. Thum, Prof. Dr. Robert Kittel, Prof. Dr. Severin Sasso, Prof. Dr. Sebastian Steinfartz
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Current questions in life sciences
11-SQM-01
Lecture and seminar with all lab groups of the faculty.
Research fields
Biology, Environment, environmental protection, ecology
Specializations
- Bedeutung von biologischer Vielfalt (Biodiversität) für das Funktionieren von Ökosystemen
- Ökologische Funktionen des Regenwurms/von Regenwürmern
- Bodentiere
Contact for media inquiries
Phone: +49 341 97 33167