Curriculum Vitae
Current position
Director emeritus, Institute of Avian Research, Wilhelmshaven
Max Planck Fellow, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz/Radolfzell
Education
| 1959-1963 | primary school |
| 1963-1973 | secondary school (gymnasium) |
| 1973-1977 | University of Konstanz: study of biology, chemistry, physics |
| 1977-1980 | University of Konstanz: postgraduate study in biology |
| 1980 | Dr. rer. nat. (PhD) in Biology |
| 1986 | Habilitation and "venia legendi" in Zoology at University of Cologne |
| 1991 | Habilitation in Zoology and Ecology at University of Oldenburg |
Professional experience and positions
| 1980-1982 | postdoctoral fellow, Max-Planck-Institute for Behavioural Physiology, Radolfzell |
| 1982-1987 | research and teaching assistant, Dept. Zoology, Physiological Ecology Section, University of Cologne |
| 1987-1990 | Heisenberg Fellow of the German Research Council (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) and Assistant Professor of Zoology at the University of Cologne |
| 1988 | sabbatical at the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, USA |
| 1990-2019 | Director of Institute of Avian Research (Institut fuer Vogelforschung), Wilhelmshaven |
| since 1992 | Professor of Zoology, University of Oldenburg |
| 2015 | Visiting Professor, Gurukula Kangri University, Haridwar, India |
| 2015 | Visiting Professor, Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, India |
| since 2017 | Adjunct Professor, Centre of Excellence in Biodiversity, Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, India |
| since 2020 | Max Planck Fellow at Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior |
Prizes/Awards
| 1985 | “Heinz-Meier-Leibnitz-Price” for Ecophysiology of the German Research Council |
| 1987 | Heisenberg Fellow, German Research Council (DFG) |
| 1991 | “Ornithologen-Price”, Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft (German Ornithologists’ Society) |
| 2001 | Witherby Memorial Lecture, British Trust for Ornithology |
| 2002 | Honorary President (Patron) of Merseyside Ringing Group, Cheshire, UK |
| 2004 | Corresponding Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union |
| 2009 | Media Award for Meteorology 2009, Category Best Print: “Climate Change and Weather – Consequences for Wilhelmshaven as well”. |
| 2010 | Award for Outstanding Contributions to Science and the Society of Oldenburgische Landschaft |
| 2012 | Konrad Lorenz Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Science |
| 2015 | Werner-Sunkel-Award, Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft (German Ornithologists’ Society) |
| 2015 | Honorary President, Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft (German Ornithologists’ Society) |
| 2015 | Marsh Award for International Ornithology, British Trust for Ornithology |
| 2019 | Honorary Member of the Board of the European Union for Bird Ringing (EURING) |
Boards & Committees
past (finished)
| 1984-1988 | Member of the Working Group “Conservation of Wild Birds“ at the European Commission |
| 1984-1988 | Member of the Working Group “Migratory Birds Programme“ of the International Council for Bird Preservation, Cambridge, England. |
| 1988-1997 | Member of the Research Council of the Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft (chair 1994-97) |
| 1991-1997 | Member of the Scientific Board of the Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft |
| 1991-2019 | Board of Directors “Der Mellumrat – Naturschutz- und Forschungsgemeinschaft“ |
| 1992-2001 | Member of the Board of the “European Union for Bird Ringing (EURING)” |
| 1992-2007 | Chair of jury “Vauk-Förderpreis Forschung für Naturschutz” |
| 1994-1997 | Chairman European Science Foundation Network “Songbird Migration“ |
| 1994-2011 | Chair of jury “Wilhelmshaven-Preis für Meeresforschung” |
| 1995-2019 | Member of the Advisory Board of the “Oldenburger Landesverein” |
| 1996-2000 | Member of the Advisory Board (Fachausschuss) of Zoology of the German Research Council (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) |
| 1998-2001 | Member of the Advisory Board for the “National Park Lower Saxony Wadden Sea“ |
| 1999-2004 | Member of the Advisory Board of the German Zoological Society |
| 1999-2004 | Member of the Evaluation Expert Group for Key Action 5 of the Quality of Life RTD Programme of the European Commission |
| 2000-2005 | Chairman European Science Foundation Scientific Programme “Optimality in Bird Migration” |
| 2000-2004 | Vice-Chair of the Advisory Board of Biology and Chair of the Advisory Board of Zoology of the DFG |
| 2000-2004 | Member of the Expert Group for Birds for the revision of the Council of Europe Convention ETS123 Appendix A for birds |
| 2001-2005 | Member of the Council of the European Ornithologists Union (EOU) |
| 2002-2012 | President Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft (German Ornithologists’ Society) |
| 2002-2006 | Secretary-General of the 24th International Ornithological Congress, Hamburg 2006 |
| 2002-2019 | Member of jury “Oldenburger Preis für Regionalforschung“ |
| 2002-2022 | Member of the Board of “Nordwestdeutsche Universitätsgesellschaft”, Wilhelmshaven |
| 2005-2007 | Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of “Deutscher Jagdschutzverband” |
| 2006-2008 | Advisor for Nature Conservation of the Lower Saxony Minister of Economics and Trade |
| 2007-2019 | President of the “European Union for Bird Ringing (EURING)” |
| 2007-2019 | Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of „Oldenburgische Landschaft“ |
| 2010-2014 | President of the “International Ornithologists’ Union (IOU)” |
| 2012-2014 | Member UNEP CMS Working Group on Migratory Landbirds in the African/Eurasian Region |
| 2013 | Member jury Max-Planck Research Award 2013 |
| 2014-2018 | Immediate Past-President of the “International Ornithologists’ Union (IOU)” |
| 2014-2019 | Member “Red Kite Conservation Panel”, Landcare Germany |
ongoing
| 1998-- | Member of the International Ornithological Committee |
| 2002-- | Member of jury “Forschungspreis der Deutschen Wildtierstiftung” |
| 2002-- | Member of the Advisory Board of “Gerd-Möller-Stiftung”, Wilhelmshaven |
| 2003-- | Member of the Board of the Foundation „Vogelmonitoring Deutschland“ |
| 2011-- | Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of “Natureum Niederelbe” (chair 2016-2020) |
| 2012-- | Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of “Society of Species Conservation and Aviculture” |
| 2012-- | Member Advisory Board of the UNESCO World Heritage Wadden Sea Flyway Initiative |
| 2014-- | Member of the Scientific Council of the Bavarian Society for the Protection of Birds (LBV) |
| 2014-- | Member of the UNEP_CMS Steering Group on the “African-Eurasian Migratory Landbirds Action Plan” |
| 2015-- | Member of the Advisory Board “Bird Monitoring in African Biosphere Reserves”, German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation |
| 2015-- | Member of the Advisory Board “DFG-FID Biodiversitätsforschung” |
| 2017-- | Member of BfN/NABU “AfriBiRds Project Advisory Committee” |
| 2018-- | Member of Scientific Advisory Board “EU-LIFE MagniDucatusAcrola”-Project |
| 2019-- | Scientific Advisory Board “UNESCO World Heritage Visitor Centre Wattenmeerhaus” |
| 2019-- | Scientific Advisory Board “Animal Guards”, Eisenbahn-Bundesamt (EBA) |
| 2019-- | Board of Directors, Deutscher Rat für Vogelschutz |
| 2019-- | Honorary member of the Board of EURING |
Editorial duties
| 1980-1984 | Editor-in-Chief Ber. Dtsch. Sektion Internat. Rat Vogelschutz |
| since 1998 | Editor-in-Chief Journal of Ornithology |
| 2012-2019 | Co-Editor Movement Ecology |
| 2017-2018 | Co-Editor Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior |
Editorial Boards
Vogelwarte (1990-2004), Oecologia (1991-1997), Ringing & Migration (1991--), Zoology (1992-1999), Vogelwelt (1992-2000), Avian Ecology and Behaviour (1999--), Zoology & Ecology (2005--), Der Falke (2015-2022).
Research expeditions
| 1981-1989 | Algerian Sahara: Trans-Sahara bird migration |
| 1994-2010 | Morocco: Stopover ecology of passerine migrants |
| 1994-2002 | Ivory Coast: Wintering ecology of Palaearctic migrants |
| 1999-2000 | Nigeria: Stopover ecology of passerine migrants |
| 2003 | Endemic birds of French Polynesia |
| 2008-2018 | Alaskan and Canadian Arctic, Svalbard: Migration of Northern Wheatear |
| 2013-2018 | Ghana/Burkina Faso/Nigeria: Ecology of Palearctic-African Migrants at wintering |
| 2016 | Russian Far East (Sakhalin, Kuril Isl., Kamchatka, Chukotka) and Aleutian Isl. (Alaska) |
Research interest
Ecology and physiology of migration with special emphasis on migration strategies; avian nutritional ecology with special emphasis on the internal and external control mechanisms of migratory fattening; conservation of migratory birds.
Teaching (lectures and courses)
Environmental Physiology, Ornithology, Population Biology, Conservation Science, Statistics in Ecology, Tropical Ecology, Comparative Animal Migrations. Chair (until 2020): Master-Program “Ornithology” at University of Oldenburg.
