Christian Rabeling, Principal Investigator

Pronouns: He/him

Email:  crabeling[at]gmail.com; christian.rabeling[at]uni-hohenheim.de   

Current appointments :

• 2022-present: Professor of Integrative Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim
• 2022-present: Adjunct Professor, Social Insect Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
• 2021-present: Research Associate, Department of Entomology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University

Education :

• 2011-2014: Junior Fellow, Harvard Society of Fellows and Museum of Comparative Zoology Labs, Harvard University (Advisors: Naomi E. Pierce & Edward O. Wilson)
• 2010-2011: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Advisor: Ted R. Schultz)
• 2004-2010: Ph.D., Section of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin (Advisor: Ulrich G. Mueller)
• 1998-2004: Diploma in Biology, Institute of Zoology, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany (Advisors: Wolf Engels & Manfred Verhaagh)

Christian's Vita: CV_Short_September2023

Kerstin Schoppe, Lab Manager

Pronouns: She/her

Email: kerstin.bach[at]uni-hohenheim.de 

Telephone : +49-(0)711-459-22834

Tanja Geyer, Administrative Specialist

Pronouns: She/her

Email : tanja.geyer[at]uni-hohenheim.de 

Telephone : +49-(0)711-459-22525

Dietrich Gotzek, Assistant Professor

Pronouns: He/him

E-mail:  dietrich.gotzek[at]uni-hohenheim.de 

Current appointment :

• 2022-present: Assistant Professor, Department of Integrative Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim

Education :

• 2017-2022: Research Scientist, Department of Entomology & Laboratories of Analytical Biology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Advisor: Sean Brady)
• 2014-2017: Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Entomology, University of Georgia at Athens (Advisor: Kenneth G. Ross)
• 2011-2014: Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Advisor: Andy Suarez)
  2009-2011: Smithsonian Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution ( Advisor: Sean Brady)
• 2007-2009: Premier Assistant, Départment d'écologie et évolution, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland (Advisor: Laurent Keller)
• 2000-2006: Ph.D., Department of Entomology, University of Georgia at Athens (Advisor: Kenneth G. Ross) 
• 1999-2000: M.S. Biology. Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC (Advisor: James T. Costa)
• 1994-1999: Diplom in Biology, Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Geosciences, University of Bayreuth, Germany (Advisor: Konrad Fiedler)

Kyle W. Gray, Assistant Professor

Pronouns: He/him

E-mail: antskateclimb[at]gmail.com  

Current appointment :

• 2023-present: Assistant Professor, Department of Integrative Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim

Education :

• 2017-2023: Ph.D., School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University (Advisor: Christian Rabeling)
• 2012-2017: B.S. Animal Behavior. University of California, Davis (Advisor: Philip S. Ward)   

Daniela Mera-Rodríguez, Postdoctoral Researcher

Pronouns: She/her

Email:  danielamerarod[at]gmail.com 

Current appointments :

• 2025-present: Postdoctoral Researcher & Fellow of the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung, University of Hohenheim

Education :

• 2022-2025: Ph.D., Department of Integrative Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim
• 2018-2022: M.S., Evolutionary Biology. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University (Advisor: Christian Rabeling)
• 2014-2018: B.S. Agricultural Engineering (with honors). Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia

Samyuktha Senthil, Ph.D. Candidate

Pronouns: She/her

Email:  samyukthasenthil96[at]gmail.com 

Current appointments :

• 2022-present: Ph.D. candidate, Department of Integrative Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim

Education :

• 2020-2022: M.S., Biology. Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium (Advisor: Tom Wenseleers)
• 2018-2020: Postgraduate Research Experience, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India (Advisor: Kartik Sunagar)
• 2014-2018: B.S. Genetic Engineering. SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India (Advisor: Sivaramakrishnan V)

Max P. Härtel, M.S. Student

Pronouns: He/him

Email: maxphaertel[at]gmail.com

Current appointments :

• 2023-present: M.S. Student, Department of Integrative Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim  

Education :

• 2019-2023: B.S., L.I.B., Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany (Advisor: Martin Husemann)

Philipp Bauer, M.S. Student

Pronouns: He/him

Email: ph.bauer[at]uni-hohenheim.de

Current appointments :

• 2023-2026: M.S. Student, Department of Integrative Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim  

Education :

• 2019-2023: B.S. Biology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany (Advisor: Johannes Steidle)

Tobias G. Pfeifer, M.S. Student

Pronouns: He/him

Email: tobias.pfeifer[at]uni-hohenheim.de 

Current appointments

• 2024-present: M.S. Student, Department of Integrative Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim  

Education

• 2021-2024: B.S. Biology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany

Benjamin Palm, M.S. Student

Pronouns: He/him

Email: benjamin.palm[at]pdmc.net

Current appointments

• 2025-present: M.S. Student, Department of Integrative Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim  

Education

• 2022-2025: B.S., Biology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany (Advisor: Reinhard Predel)

David Grunicke, M.S. Student

Pronouns: He/him

Email: davidgrunicke[at]gmail.com 

Current appointments

• 2025-present: M.S. Student, Department of Integrative Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim  

Education

• 2024-2025: Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Integrative Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim  
• 2022-2025: B.S. Student, Biology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany

Moritz Hemmert, Undergraduate Research Assistant

Pronouns: he/him

Email: moritz.hemmert[at]uni-hohenheim.de  

Current appointments

2025-present: Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of  

Integrative Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Insects, Institute of  Biology, University of Hohenheim

Education

2023-present: B.S. Student, Biology, University of Hohenheim,  Stuttgart, Germany

Laura El-Ghor, Visiting M.S. Student

Pronouns: She/her

Email: elghorlaura13[at]gmail.com 

Current appointments :

• 2025-present: M.S. Student, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University  

Education :

• 2020-2024: B.S. Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

Sarah von Adelmannsfelden

Current appointments

Since October 2025: Doctoral student, University of Freiburg, Germany

  https://uni-freiburg.de/enr-forento/ 

Education

• 2023: B.S. Environmental Sciences, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany (Advisor: Felix Fornoff)
• 2025: M.S., Department of Integrative Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim