My CV

Academic Career

01/2020 – today

10/2015 – 12/2019

08/2013 – 09/2015

10/2010 – 07/2013

09/2001 – 06/2010

Awards and Funding

Fellowships

02/2020 – 01/2022

10/2015 – 07/2019

10/2010 – 09/2015

Grants

11/2020

10/2020

09/2020

07/2019

05/2019

10/2018

09/2018

07/2018

03/2018

11/2017

08/2017

05/2017

06/2016

Awards

11/2019

07/2018

03/2018

07/2017

04/2017

10/2015

09/2015

07/2013

06/2010

Invited and selected presentations

10/2021

07/2021

06/2021

05/2021

04/2021

03/2021

01/2021

11/2020

09 & 10/2020

08/2020

07/2020

10/2018

02/2017

Professional and International Experience

Experience in Genomics

04/2021 – 02/2022

02/2021 – today

01/2021 – today

11/2020 – today

10/2017 – today

02/2021

01/2019 – 02/2019

07/2018

07/2017

02/2017

11/2016

10/2016

07/2016 – 08/2016

06/2015 – 09/2015

Experience in Ecology

11/2020 – 12/2020

02/2019 – 03/2019

09/2014

02/2014 – 04/2014

08/2013 – 09/2013

03/2013 – 04/2013

07/2012 – 09/2012

03/2012 – 04/2012

Scientific and Public Engagement

10/2020 – today

02/2018 – today

06/2021

10/2017 – 12/2019

09/2019

08/2019

03/2019

02/2019

01/2018 – 10/2018

05/2018

02/2017

Lecturing and Supervision

06/2021 – 11/2021

11/2020

10/2020 – today

04/2020 – 10/2020

04/2020

05/2017 – 02/2018

01/2017

10/2016

04/2014 – 07/2015

06/2013 – 12/2014

since 10/2012

Professional Service

2021 – today

2020 – today

2017 – 2019

2016 – 2018

2010 – 2015

2012 – 2014

Reviewer [since 10/2014]

Additional Information

Certificates

Languages

IT

Personal Interests

Independent Research Fellow, Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship · Departments of Anatomy and Mathematics and Statistics, University of Otago,

New Zealand (with Neil Gemmell & David Bryant)

Focus on statistical conservation genomics and environmental DNA research

PhD candidate, International EMBL PhD Fellowship · EMBL-EBI, University of Cambridge, UK, and EMBL Heidelberg (with Oliver Stegle)

Focus on statistical genomics in human cancer and single-cell genomics

since 08/2019: Post-doctoral Bridging Fellowship

Master of Science in Biology · Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Germany Focus on statistics, bioinformatics and ecology (PI: Tobias Müller)

Grade: 1.0 (A+ with Distinction)

Bachelor of Science in Biology · Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg

Focus on statistics, simulation programming and ecology (PI: Joachim Poethke)

Grade: 1.1 (A+ with Distinction)

Abitur (A-level) · Gymnasium of Marktbreit, Germany

Grade: 1.0 (A+ with Distinction)

Alexander von Humboldt Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship [> € 125k]

Full funding of employment as a Research Fellow at the University of Otago, NZ

International EMBL PhD Fellowship · EMBL-EBI & University of Cambridge [> £ 200k]

Full PhD scholarship including stipend and tuition fees (PanCanRisk/Horizon2020)

Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation Scholarship [> € 65k]

Full scholarship for Bachelor and Master studies and international research

Revive & Restore Wild Genomes Fund (Principal Investigator) [US$ 53,750]

Funding of the takahē conservation genomics project

University of Otago Research Grant (Associated Investigator) [NZ$ 50,000]

Biodiversity and biosecurity monitoring using eDNA from natural samplers

Birds New Zealand Research Fund (Principal Investigator) [NZ$ 7,340 + GST]

Funding of environmental DNA research on NZ’s endangered avifauna

COVID-19 Innovation Acceleration Fund by Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, New Zealand (Associate Investigator) [NZ$ 1,658,201]

National research on monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater

Mozilla Science Mini Grant (Associated Investigator) [US$ 7,300]

Organisation of gene editing workshops with CRISPR-Cas9 & MinION sequencing

OpenPlant Biomaker Challenge · University of Cambridge [£ 750]

Genomic detection of plant pathogens to support food security in Kenya

Heredity Field Grant by the Genetics Society UK [£ 1,500]

Support for research on the ecology of the kākāpō parrot in New Zealand

EMBL Fuchs Fund for a special opportunity in science career [€ 500]

Oral presentation at the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of Germany

University of Washington Biostatistics Summer Institutes Scholarship [US$ 1,650]

Participation in advanced population and conservation genetics courses

Wolfson College Research Grant · University of Cambridge [£ 1,200]

Support for research on the genomics of the kākāpō parrot in New Zealand

Public Engagement Seed Fund · University of Cambridge [£ 1,500]

Support for outreach activities of the PuntSeq project, to explain portable DNA sequencing technology and meta-genomics to the public

OpenPlant Grant · University of Cambridge, John Innes Centre Norwich, Earlham Institute Norwich, BBSRC and EPSRC [£ 4,000]

Support for PuntSeq to apply portable DNA-sequencing technology

Cold Spring Harbor Travel Stipend [US$ 200]

Participation and research presentation at the Biology of Genomes conference

Burke's Peerage Foundation Grant [£ 1,000]

Support for development of conservation genomics projects

Best Poster Award · A Century of Genetics, Genetics Society UK meeting

Invitation to the 68th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting [€ 5,000]

Best Poster Award · Cambridge Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics Symposium

Best Poster Award · Cambridge Building Bridges in Medical Sciences Conference

Best Talk Award · EMBL-EBI Retreat

Best Talk Award · EMBL-EBI PhD Seminar Day

Best Poster Award · EMBL PhD Symposium

Best Poster Award · German Conference on Bioinformatics

Award for Master of Science with Distinction, Award for Outstanding Master Thesis

Award for Bachelor of Science with Distinction

Abitur (A-level) with Distinction (Grade: 1.0), exceptional achievements in German

Invited speaker at the Presidential American Genetics Association Symposium on conservation genomics 2021 · Utah, USA

Speaker: Quantitative genomics of the kākāpō · SMBE 2021

Invited speaker: Leveraging genomics for kākāpō conservation · University of Auckland

Plenary speaker: Leveraging adaptive sampling of environmental DNA for monitoring the critically endangered kākāpō · London Calling 2021

Speaker: Quantitative genomic analyses support the conservation of the critically endangered kākāpō · CSHL The Biology of Genomes 2021

Invited speaker: Freshwater monitoring using DNA analysis · European Leptospirosis Society

Invited speaker: Environmental monitoring using eDNA · Christchurch University

Keynote speaker: Environmental monitoring using eDNA · Genetics Otago

Invited speaker: Freshwater monitoring · Accessible Genomics

Invited speaker: Quantitative conservation genomics · Wageningen University

Invited panelist: Global loss of biodiversity · EMBL Science & Society conference

Invited speaker at the Departments of Medicine & Zoology, University of Otago

Invited guest lecturer: Conservation genomics · Massey University Auckland

Invited speaker: Statistical conservation genomics · Genomics Aotearoa Seminar

Invited panelist: The importance of conservation · EMBL Benefit Gala

Invited speaker: Cancer genomics · Wolfson College Cambridge Research Event

Committee member of the first Oceania eDNA conference

Member of the Kākāpō Aspergillosis Research Consortium
International collaboration to understand Aspergillosis in the endangered kākāpō

Advisor of the Accessible Genomics project (

Application of nanopore sequencing to monitor SARS-CoV-2 in the developing world

Council member of the European Reference Genome Atlas

Generation of reference genomes representing the European biodiversity

Member of the ELSI and data analysis committees

Foundation and Co-organization of PuntSeq (

Application of portable DNA-sequencing technology to meta-genomics studies

Co-chair of the Quantitative Genetics Symposium · University of Otago, New Zealand

Visiting Scientist · University of Otago, New Zealand

Statistical analysis of kākāpō GBS data to promote its conservation

Participation in the University of Washington Biostatistics Summer Institute · Seattle

Participation in advanced population and conservation genetics courses

Participation in the 68th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

Participation in the DeepLearn Summer School · DeustoTech Bilbao, Spain

Co-organization of the eSCAMPS conference · University of Cambridge, UK

Co-organization of the EMBL PhD Symposium · Heidelberg, Germany

Co-organization of the MASAMB conference · University of Cambridge, UK

Visiting Scientist · UCLA Computational Genomics Summer Institute, USA

Application of deep learning methodology to epigenomics

Visiting Scientist · Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK

Development of multivariate statistical methods for transcriptomic data integration

Fieldwork and qualification as University and Rescue Diver · Doubtful Sound, NZ

Collection of natural samplers for biodiversity and biosecurity monitoring

Visiting Scientist · NZ Department of Conservation New Zealand, Whenua Hou, NZ

Conservation and monitoring of the kākāpō

Fieldwork · DFG Research Group Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Fieldwork and statistical analysis on pollination patterns

Visiting Scientist · Tropical Research and Conservation Centre, Semporna, Malaysia

Collection and statistical analysis of biodiversity data of coral reef ecosystems

Visiting Scientist · Forschungsmuseum Koenig & Universidade Federal Mato Grosso

Avian biodiversity of the Pantanal

Fieldwork · La Gamba Tropical Field Station of the University of Vienna, Costa Rica

Fieldwork and statistical analysis on phytotelmata

Visiting Scientist · Whale Research Centre OrcaLab, Canada

Fieldwork on whales' behavior and distribution

Intern · Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation Dakar, Senegal

Administration and supervision of ecological workshops for local farmers/politicians

Organisation of a citizen science initiative to rediscover the South Island Kōkako using eDNA research

Production of a website and public engagement video series about PuntSeq

Outreach presentation about avian conservation genomics at the annual BirdsNZ conference

Student head of the Wolfson College Science Society · University of Cambridge

Outreach presentation of PuntSeq at the European Researchers’ Night Cambridge

Co-organization of the Cambridge Metagenomics Challenge, a two-day workshop about real-time nanopore sequencing for freshwater monitoring · Cambridge

Co-organization of the Cambridge Science Festival · Cambridge

Invited speaker at the Abbey College Ted Talks · Dunedin, New Zealand

Co-organization of the EMBL Benefit Gala 2018 and research panel participant

Outreach presentation of PuntSeq at Pint of Science · Cambridge

Invited speaker at the Wolfson College Research Event · Cambridge

Co-leader of Bachelor degree Genetics papers (GENE411/412) · University of Otago

Instructor at eDNA Bioinformatics Spring School · University of Otago

Certified The Carpentries Instructor to teach international data science workshops

Co-supervision of Honors thesis · University of Otago

Thesis title: The role of gene duplication and neofunctionalization for sexual plasticity

Teaching of an introductory eDNA workshop · University of Otago

Co-supervision of Bachelor thesis · EMBL-EBI

Thesis title: Combined single-cell profiling of expression and DNA methylation

Teaching and co-organization of the EMBL-EBI PhD introductory course · EMBL-EBI

Lectured on Unix, python, R and internal EMBL regulations

Teaching of the EMBL PhD basic teaching module · EMBL Heidelberg

Lectured on statistics and data visualization in R

Research Assistant · Group of Statistical and Computational Biology, Würzburg

Lectured in the MSc courses Algorithmic Bioinformatics and Quantitative Biology

Research Assistant · Group of Evolutionary Ecology, Fabrikschleichach

Lectured in the BSc courses Statistics in Animal Ecology and Population Ecology

Tutor and mentor, at the University of Würzburg, Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation, Wolfson College Cambridge, EMBL and University of Otago

Member of the international eLife Early-Career Advisory Group to catalyse broad reform in the evaluation and communication of science and increase equity, diversity and inclusion

eLife-associated early-career reviewer

Post-PhD head of the Emerging Researcher Group, University of Otago

Committee member of the Emerging Researcher Group

Departmental member of the Social and Outreach Committees

Head of the Wolfson College Science Society & the Wolfson College Plant Society

First PhD representative of EMBL-EBI; as such, co-organiser of the EMBL PhD retreat, EMBL research review, EBI Predoc seminar days and EMBL-EBI PhD and group leader interviews

Student head of Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation Würzburg

Student parliament & international delegate & equal opportunities officer Würzburg

Journals: Ecology & Evolution, Systematic Biology, PeerJ, Diversity, Biological Conservation, Genome Research, Journal of Molecular Medicine, Bioinformatics

Conferences: International Society for Computational Biology, Research in Computational Molecular Biology, German Conference on Bioinformatics

DELF B2 Certificate in French

IELTS in Academic English

Advanced Certificate in Intercultural Competence (GSiK) · University of Würzburg

10/2007 - 02/2009 Frühstudium (Early Study program for gifted secondary school pupils) in Political and Social Studies · Würzburg, Germany

German · Native, English · full professional proficiency, French · full professional proficiency, Spanish · limited proficiency

Python, R, Pascal, Perl, Linux, Git, MATLAB, Fiji, TeX, GIS

Hiking, running, rugby and rowing club, diving (University-certified rescue diver)