1983-1991 School and Abitur in Wolfsburg
1991-1992 Military service in Germany
1993-1995 Study of Biology at the Technical University of Braunschweig (Vordiplom)
1995-1998 Study of Biology at the Ludwig Maximilian University Munich
Nov 1998 Diploma in Biology (major degree in Zoology)
1998-1999 Childcare of my one and a half years old daughter Lea Steinfartz
2000-2003 Ph.D. thesis at the University of Cologne in the Department of Evolutionary Genetics (Professor Tautz)
July 2003 Ph. D. in Biology (summa cum laude)
2003-2004 Research Assistant at the University of Cologne in the Department of Evolutionary Genetics (Professor Tautz)
2004-2005 Postdoc fellow at the Yale University in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Oct 2005-Dec 2007 Independent Research Associate at the University of Bielefeld on the project „Patterns of adaptive speciation in salamanders“ funded by the German Research Foundation DFG
Jan 2008-Mar 2009 Assistant Professor and leader of the group „Molecular Ecology and Behaviour“ at the University of Bielefeld
Apr 2009-Sep 2010 Professor for Molecular Zoology at the University of Siegen (Vertretungsprofessur)
Oct 2010- Assistant Professor and leader of the group "Molecular Ecology and Behaviour" at the University of Bielefeld

1993 Alfred A. Schmidt Preis for the outstanding captive breeding success of Neurergus crocatus (Amphibia: Salamandridae)
1999 Ph.D. research grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG)
2004 Postdoc fellowship of the DFG
2004 National Geographic Research Grant (Co-PI)
2005 Research grant from the DFG to establish an independent research group at the University of Bielefeld
2006 DAPTF (Declining Amphibian Population Task Force) seed grant
2006/07 Young researcher's grant from the University of Bielefeld
2007 Research grant from the VolkswagenStiftung (together with Ralf Hendrix): „Genetic and spatial distribution of fire salamanders during an early stage of adaptive differentiation.“
2008 Research grant from the DFG: „Analysis of a terrestrial salamander population as a model for studying mechanisms of adaptive speciation.“
2008 Meeting grant from the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU)
2009 Research grant from the DFG (Postdoc position for Dr. Barbara Caspers): „Determining the necessity and mechanisms of assortative mating in an adaptively diverging salamander population (Salamandra salamandra).“
2010 Doctoral stipend for Axel Drechsler from the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU): “Einfluss anthropogener Maßnahmen auf die Populationen von FFH-Arten - Artenschutz am Beispiel des Kammmolches (Triturus cristatus) in Krefeld"

Regular lectures

-Biology of Amphibians (winter term 2006/07 and 2007/08; University of Bielefeld)

-Conservation Biology (summer term 2008; University of Bielefeld)

-Molecular Biology (winter term 2007/08, summer term 2009, winter term 2009/10, summer term 2010; University of Siegen)

-Applied Ecology (lecture series summer term 2008; University of Bielefeld)

-Biology and behaviour of selected vertebrate groups (lecture series winter term 2008/09; University of Bielefeld)

-Animal Evolutionary Biology (winter term 2009/10; University of Siegen)

Bachelor and Master Modules

-Specialising module: Proximate and Ultimative Aspects of Behaviour (summer term 2006 and 2008; University of Bielefeld)
-Project module: Neuroethology and Behaviour (summer term 2007; University of Bielefeld)
-Master module: Animal Ecology (winter term 2008/09; University of Bielefeld)

Practical Courses and Excursions

-Cloning of microsatellite loci (summer term 2004; Yale University)
-Zoological excursions (summer term 2007; University of Bielefeld)
-Molecular Biology (summer term 2009, winter term 2009/10, summer term 2010; University of Siegen)

Ph.D. theses

-Scott Glaberman „Genetic analysis of the MHC complex in Galápagos Marine Iguanas“ (group of Professor Caccone 2004-2005; Yale University)
-Ralf Hendrix „Genetic and spatial distribution of fire salamanders during an early stage of adaptive differentiation.“ (2007- ; University of Bielefeld)
-Kai Ristau „Biodiversity of limnic nematodes and their potential for the judgement of limnic habitats“ (group of Professor Traunspurger; 2007- ;University of Bielefeld)

 

Diploma theses

-Daniel Küsters „Investigation of mating and migration behaviour of a fire salamander population (Salamandra salamandra) in the Bergische Land” (2000-01; University of Cologne)
-Claudia Junge „The impact of habitat adaptation on mate choice behaviour in Salamandra salamandra“ (2006-07; University of Bielefeld)
-Sarah Siegemund „Determining movement patterns of salamanders during a sympatric split“ (2008-2009; University of Bielefeld)

Bachelor theses

- Katja Schneider „Genetic sex determination in mammals“ (2007; University of Bielefeld)
- Marcus Wenzel „Investigation of postmating selection processes in Salamandra salamandra“(2006-07; University of Bielefeld )

 

 

Biology of Salamandra and Mertensiella, Düsseldorf 1992
"Ökologie und Stammesgeschichte der Schwanzlurche", Magdeburg 1993
Third World Congress of Herpetology, Prague 1997
7th Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology, Barcelona 1999
92th meeting of the German Zoological Society, Innsbruck 1999
96th meeting of the German Zoological Society, Berlin 2003
13th meeting of the Societas Europaea Herpetologica (SEH), Bonn 2005
99th meeting of the German Zoological Society, Münster 2006
100th meeting of the German Zoological Society, Cologne 2007

 

6th World Congress of Herpetology, Manaus 2008
Phylogenetic Symposium, Braunschweig 2009
101. MNU National Congress, Bielefeld 2010
Evolution, Ecology & Systematics seminar series, University of Munich 2011

Amphibia-Reptilia
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Behaviour
Biologia
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society
BMC Evolutionary Biology
Conservation Genetics 
Evolution
Evolutionary Ecology
Frontiers in Zoology
Herpetologica
Herpetological Journal
Journal of Biogeography
Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological Genetics and Physiology
Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution
Journal of Natural History
Molecular Ecology
Molecular Ecology Resources
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
Zoologica Scripta

German Research Foundation (DFG)
Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU)

The Open Zoology Journal (editorial board; 2008-)
Herpetology Notes (Managing Editor; 2008-)
Amphibia-Reptilia (Associate Editor; 2009-)

International Herpetological Committee (2008-)
Member of the scientific committee for the 15th European Congress of Herpetology in 2009

- Concepts for the conservation of the moorfrog (Rana arvalis) – practice-oriented species conservation in Europe of the 21st century (11th-13th of September 2008)

Prof. Dr. Diethard Tautz, Max Planck Institute Plön (adaptive speciation in salamanders)
Prof. Dr. Fritz Trillmich, University of Bielefeld (Galápagos sea lions)
Dr. Adalgisa Caccone, Yale University (conservation of Galápagos marine iguanas)
Dr. Michael Veith, University of Trier (taxonomy and systematics of salamanders)
Dr. Markus Weitere, University of Cologne (ecology of salamanders)
Dr. Lucio Bonato, University of Padova (taxonomy and evolution of Alpine salamanders)
Dr. Davied Vieites, Berkeley University of California (speciation in salamanders)
Prof. Walter Traunspurger, University of Bielefeld (DNA barcoding of limnic nematodes)

Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft
Societas Europaea Herpetologica
Deutscher Hochschulverband