Curriculum vitae of Dirk S. Schmeller
Personal information
Date of birth: 07/07/1970
Place of birth: Mannheim,Germany
Nationality: German
Language skills: German (mother tongue), Fluent in English, French, and notions in
Spanish and Finnish.
Of heart a Palatinian (än eschde Gimmeldinger, eichentlisch).
Major academic appointments
Since May 2019: Axa Chair for Functional Mountain Ecology at the École Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Toulouse, Toulouse, France.
Since June 2017: Professor for Conservation Biology, Zentrum für Fernstudien und Universitäre Weiterbildung of the University Koblenz-Landau
December 2012 - October 2018: Senior Researcher at the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Department Conservation Biology.
Since April 2014: Leader of GEO BON working group on terrestrial species monitoring and member of the Implementation committee of GEO BON (GEO BON member since 2009).
April 2016, September - October 2013, February 2012: Guest professor at the Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University.
August 2007-November 2012: CNRS Researcher at the Station d'Ecologie Experimentale du CNRS, Moulis, France.
August 2005 - April 2008: Coordinator of the FP6 EuMon-Project at the Helmholtz Center of Environmental Research (UFZ) Halle - Leipzig, Department Conservation Biology.
July 2005 - August 2006: EGIDE-Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Angers, Department of Zoology, Division of Animal Ecology.
June 2002 - July 2005: Postdoctoral fellow (Alexander-v.-Humboldt/Academy of Finland scholarship; KONE-scholarship) at the University of Helsinki, Department of Ecology and Systematics, Division of Population biology.
March 2002 - May 2002: Marie Curie-scholarship at the University of Jyväskylä, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Evolutionary Ecology.
May 2000 - February 2002: Assistant professor at the Faculty of Biology, Department of Nature Conservation, University of Marburg.
February 1996 - April 2000: Scientific assistant at the Chair of Ecology, Department of Zoology V, University of Mainz.
Education
May 2009
l’Habilitation à diriger des recherches (HDR), University Paul-Sabatier, Toulouse
April 1996 - September 1999
Study of geography with emphasis on climatology and geo-morphology.
April 1996 - September 1999
Completion of my PhD thesis on the hemiclonal inheritance of hy-bridogenetic waterfrogs and its impact on the demographic and genetic structure of populations.
This thesis was conducted in cooperation with the biological station Tour du Valat (Camargue, France).
March - December 1995
Completion of my masters thesis with the subject genetic structure of the grasshopper species Platycleis albopunctata (GOEZE, 1776) under consideration of various environmental factors.
April 1993 to February 1995
Main study of biology at the Johannes Gutenberg-University in Mainz (Germany).
Subjects: zoology, botany, microbiology and public relations.
At the 10th of February 1995 masters exam
May 1991 to April 1993
Basic study of biology at the Johannes Gutenberg-University in Mainz (Germany).
Subjects: mathematics, botany, zoology and chemistry
Bachelor exam on the 19th of April 1993
Invited talks
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31.10.2015: Der weltweite Amphibienrückgang und die Rolle von Krankheiten, Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU), Kassel, Germany
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29.10.2015: Monitoring activities at the UFZ, GEO Deutschland, Leipzig, Germany
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03.11.2014: Can we inform EBVs with currently available data? Ecoscope, Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversité (FRB), Paris, France
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13.11.2014: Current data needs in biodiversity monitoring, EU-Project BioVel, Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversité (FRB), Paris, France
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02.10.2014: The European Biodiversity Observation Network, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany
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05.03.2014: Micropredators dictate infection dynamics of Batrachochytrium dendrobatitis, Leibnitz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany
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20.11.2013: The EU BON project and open data, Taiwan-Node of GBIF, Taipeh, Taiwan
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03.10.2013: Impact of the environment on Bd prevalence, National Taiwan University, Taipeh, Taiwan
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29.09.2013: The herpetofauna of Taiwan and newly emerging pathogens, Chinese Culture University, Shilin, Taipeh, Taiwan
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04.06.2013: EU BON - The European Biodiversity Observation Network, Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), Copenhagen, Denmark
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11.12.2012: European research on an emerging fungal pathogen, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, USA
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28.05.2012: Advances in amphibian disease research in the Pyrenees, La Bastide de Serou, France
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25.05.2012: Sublethal effects of Bd on newts and midwife toads, Natural History Museum, Madrid, Spain
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14.02.2012: Biodiversity Monitoring - a European overview, Taichung University, Taichung, Taiwan
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28.10.2011: Bd and the French herpetofauna, Festival international du film ornithologique de Ménigoute, Menigoute, France
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02.02.2011: Advances of the project RACE, Biodiversa, Brussels, Belgium.
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10.01.2011: New results on an emerging fungal pathogen in the Pyrenees, Parc National de Pyrenees, Tarbes, France
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22.11.2010: The biodiversity monitoring landscape in Europe, Zoological Society London, London, UK
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06.08.2010: The amphibian disease chytridiomycosis, Association Naturalist Ariege, Maz-d'Azil, France
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19.11.2009: Chytridiomycosis in Asia, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
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20.09.2009: Chytridiomycosis - a major threat for amphibians worldwide, Centre de Recherche en Agronomie et Développement (CIRAD), Kourou, French Guiana
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23.10.2008: Reproductive success of Rana temporaria under extrem climate conditions, Imperial College London, London, UK
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01.10.2008: Genotype x Environment Interactions, Universite Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
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08.11.2006: Institute of Ecology, University of Bremen, Germany
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27.06.2006: Laboratoire Ecologie, Systématique et Èvolution, CNRS / Université Paris-Sud 11, France
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24.05.2006: Community Ecology, University of Bern, Switzerland
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21.06.2006: Institute of Ecology, University of Darmstadt, Germany
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14.03.2006: Département de biologie évolutive, Université de Rennes 1, France
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08.05.2002: University of Jyväskylä, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences
Ecology and Environmental Management & Hydrobiology, Finland -
21.05.2001: Botanico drustvo Slovenije, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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03.01.2001: Dept. of Ecology, Prof. H.U- Reyer, University of Zurich, Switzerland
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17.04.2000: Chair of biogeography, Prof. P. Müller, University of Trier, Germany
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08.05.2000: Inst. für Natur, Landschafts- und Umweltschutz, Abt. Biologie, Prof. B. Baur, University of Basel, Switzerland
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01.02.2000: Large Animal Research Group, Prof. T. Clutton-Brock, Cambridge, UK
Scientific coordination
The coordination and scientific direction of the FP6-project EuMon with 16 partners from 11 countries was perceived as very successful by the European Commission. The experience was extremely valuable for my career, as I had to deal with a wide range of mentalities (East to West, North to South), needing to adapt my coordination and communication strategy depending on the different partner institutions. My work included at the very first to manage and organize the work of the partners and their collaboration. Further, it comprised also the redaction and writing of reports, press releases and deliverables, writing the annual activity and financial reports and to represent EuMon at the EU commission in Brussels. The latter included i.e. presentations at the international habitat seminars and other EU working group meetings (i.e. Article 17 working group meeting). I therefore improved my organizational and administrative skills to run international projects, useful also for running my own research group in Moulis. The research group I have established in Moulis since 2007 is the second one I run. During my time in Marburg as assistant professor (wissenschaftlicher Assistent) I co-directed a group of 3 PostDocs and junior researchers, 8 PhD students, and several master students for the duration of 2 years. I was representing the department of nature conservation in meetings on the teaching agenda, budgetary meetings with the biological institute, and at university meetings. During my time in Helsinki as a PostDoc, I was involved in the co-supervision of several PhD and master students, contributed to teaching and the organization and management of the research group. My own group in Moulis currently comprises two PostDocs, three PhD students, and between 4-6 bachelor and master students from various countries. At present, I put my coordination skills in duty of the project RACE (coordinated together with Matthew Fisher from Imperial College) and as sub-workpackage leader in the project SCALES.
Review work
Referee for: Bulletin of the Zoological Museum, Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology, Biota, Evolutionary Ecology, Oikos, Molecular Ecology, Oecologia, Behavioural Ecology, Ecology Letters, Biodiversity and Conservation, Conservation Biology, Alytes, American Naturalist, Journal of Heredity, The Herpetological Journal, Biodiversity and Conservation, Biological Conservation, Zoological Science, Ecological Indicators, Amphibia Reptilia, Plos ONE, Ecography, Journal of Applied Ecology, Basic and Applied Ecology, Herpetologica, Belgium Journal of Zoology, Journal of Animal Ecology.
Evaluation of projects: FNR - Luxembourg, Polish Science Foundation, Israel Science Foundation, Czech Academy of Science, Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
Editorial work
Member of the Editorial Board of
- the Bulletin of the Zoological Museum, Berlin, 1999 - 2001
- Biota - Journal of Biology and Ecology, 1999 - 2001
- Biodiversity and Conservation, 2008 -
- Diversity, 2009 -
- Nature Conservation, 2012 -
Transfer and application of my research findings
My work on the development of a simple, but robust and freely scalable method to determine national responsibilities has been implemented by the Norwegian government and is currently discussed within the European Commission to be implemented in the periodical reporting of the article 17 (Habitats Directive, Natura 2000). With a computer application, that method will have a very high chance to become a standard method to determine national and/or regional responsibilities for species and habitat conservation in Europe and other continents. The collaboration with Yu-Pin Lin in Taiwan has already led to a beta-version of such an application.
Another important aspect of conservation is also the dissemination of results and research advances in non-academic journals. Articles of mine have been published by the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (German Federal center for political education), in Spektrum der Wissenschaft and have been communicated widely through national and international newspapers (e.g. FAZ, SÜDDEUTSCHE, Spiegel, La Libération, La Depeche, Die Zeit, L'Independant, The Independent (UK), La Republique, Die Welt, Die Berliner Morgenpost, Hamburger Abendblatt etc.), via internet (e.g. France 3, Ariege News, Nature, Tela Botanica) and have been interviewed on radio (e.g. Hessen Rundschau, Radio France International) and TV (ZDF, France 3).
I am also regularly solicited to give talks in graduate seminars, international symposia, and meetings on my subjects of national responsibilities and conservation priorities, volunteer-based biodiversity monitoring, and amphibian conservation.
Additional Expertise
Organisiation of the symposium The Evolution of Asexual Reproduction at the ESEB meeting in Krakow, Poland, 2005
Member of the organizing committee of the Extinction Thresholds-meeting held in Helsinki, Finland, 2002
Member of the expert comittee of the Henry Ford Conservation Awards Germany, section nature conservation, since 2001
Member of the committee on Alpine ecology (organisational committee for the 1st international scientific meeting on the biology and ecology of alpine amphibians and reptiles in Slovenia in Sep. 2000), 1999 - 2000
Installation and maintenance of a WWW-server at perdix.biologie.uni-mainz.de, 1996 - 2000
Organisation of the 3rd international symposium on the Genetics, Systematics, and Ecology of Western Palearctic water frogs,1999
Revival of a information pool for waterfrog scientists together with P. Beerli at Prof. Felsensteins lab using internet facilities at evolution.genetics.washington.edu , 1997
Freelancer at the publishing house of Spektrum der Wissenschaft, 1997 - 2006