Grupo de Especialistas en Esturiones de la CSE de la UICN

I have been employed at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin, Germany since 2002. Since 2018, I have been a professor of animal genetics at Humboldt University, Berlin, and of conservation genetics at the University of Hildesheim, both in Germany. My research focuses on animal conservation genetics and wildlife forensics. In the 1990s, I began researching the restoration of sturgeon, as well as methods for controlling the sturgeon trade (e.g. caviar). These topics remain of great importance for sturgeon conservation. I have been the Chair of the IUCN Sturgeon Specialist Group since 2022. 

I’m a fisheries ecologist with over 20 years of experience. My research interests are in fundamental and applied questions related to understanding the ecology and life histories of threatened and endangered fish species. I’m passionate about advancing our understanding of biological processes in a framework that allows the science to be applied in decision making, ensuring environmental values and species conservation are prioritized in management decisions. Results from my research directly informs the development of sustainable conservation aquaculture programs, fisheries management, and conservation biology.