
I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Technische Universität Berlin, a PostDoc alumni from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin with a Ph.D. in Urban Ecology from the University of Melbourne and German Diplom in Biology from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Since my PhD, I am passionate about combining ecological research with social science theories. I strongly believe that conservation is much more effective when we also understand people since most threats to wildlife and their habitats are caused by human behaviour. So, I love to come from ‘both sides’: from the wildlife as well as from the human side to find solutions for ‘shared urban habitats’. While my focus with wildlife is on insectivorous bats, I currently start to learn more about other wildlife in urban areas (thanks to my awesome colleagues).
Since I can remember, I was always passionate about wildlife, conservation and the natural world around us. Hence, as soon as I had the chance, I volunteered for environmental NGOs. In my academic life, I always try to stay closely connected with NGOs and I was fortunate to work together with and in international NGOs, including the Jane Goodall Institute Germany, German Animal Welfare Federation, WEMA HOME e.V. and Earthwatch Australia and was holding board roles in the Jane Goodall Institute Germany and WEMA HOME e.V.. Knowing also these both ‘worlds’, I enjoy building bridges between NGOs and academia and to learn from each other.