Dr. Wiebke Kämper
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow at Functional Agrobiodiversity
My research focuses on pollination biology and plant reproductive performance. My main research goal is to identify innovative strategies to sustainably increase food production.My past research was focusing on crop reproductive performance, the importance of pollen genotypes, and the implications of pollen limitation for crop production and quality. I performed genetic analyses using various genetic tools, measured fruit quality and shelf life, and developed models that non-destructively predict postharvest properties.
Within my interdisciplinary Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship ECO-INTENS-HORT, I create a mechanistic understanding of the extent to which agrobiodiversity affects pollen flow in a horticultural crop, as pollen flow determines yield and nutritional quality in many tree crops. Furthermore, I explore relationships between functional diversity, ecosystem services and genotype-specific traits, and utilise the created knowledge for ecological intensification by providing practical, science-based recommendations.
Publication list
Academic CV
since 2023 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at the Functional Agrobiodiversity group, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
2022-2023 Research Fellow at the Institute for Bee Protection, Julius Kühn-Institute, Braunschweig, Germany
2019-2022 Research Fellow at the Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University, Nathan (QLD), Australia
2018-2019 Postdoctoral Research Fellow at GeneCology, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs (QLD), Australia
2017-2018 Gateway Fellow at GeneCology, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs (QLD), Australia
2017-2017 Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Ecological Networks, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
2012-2016 PhD Candidate at the Department of Animal Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
Education
2016 PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) at the Ruhr-University Bochum; »Bumblebees in agricultural landscapes in Central Europe: colony performance, floral resource use and pathogen load«
2011 Research Master of Science in Biology (Evolution, Biodiversity and Conservation) at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands; Thesis 1 »Non-learnt perceptual preference for universal note types in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)«; Thesis 2 »Behavioural responses of a dasyurid predator (Antechinus flavipes) to the toxic cane toad (Rhinella marina)« completed at the University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
2009 Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences at the Leuphana University, Lüneburg, Germany
Fellowships and Research Funding
2023 – 2025 EU Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdotoral Fellowship; ECO-INTENS-HORT: Ecological intensification in horticulture: Increasing crop quantity and quality by understanding relationships between functional diversity, ecosystem services and genotype-specific traits
2021 – 2022 SAMAC research grant (Macadamias South Africa NPC); »Assessing levels of self-paternity and cross-paternity in international macadamia orchards«; Grantees: Mike Allsopp, Stephen Trueman, Wiebke Kämper, Kobus Visser
2017 – 2018 DFG Gateway Fellowship; »Cross-pollination in avocado and macadamia orchards - the role of introduced and wild bees and the implications for fruit set and fruit characteristics«