Events

Events and Seminars

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Upcoming events

Date	Event	Event type	Location
22nd May 2026	Celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity	Seminar	Lecture hall 0.024, Biozentrum (304), Zülpicher Str. 47b, 50679, Cologne
26-27th May 2026	Internal colloquium: end of Phase I	Internal colloquium	Zoo Event, Cologne

Past events

Past seminars

19.02.2026, 9:00-17:30, XXXth Cologne Minisymposium on Plant Biology

Venue: Foyer & Lecture hall 0.024, Biozentrum (building 304), University of Cologne

25.02.2025, 4:00 p.m. CET,Dr. Walter Durka , Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Halle (Online seminar)

Title of the talk: “Nationwide assessment of genetic variation of multiple grassland plants as basis for the development of generalized seed transfer zones: the German RegioDiv project”

20.02.2025, 9:00 a.m. CET, Cologne Minisymposium on Plant Sciences

Place: Foyer & Lecture hall 0.024, Biozentrum (building 304), University of Cologne

14.02.2025, 1:00 p.m. CET, TRR341-CEPLAS Friday, Prof. Kirsten Bomblies, ETH Zürich

Title of the talk: “Mechanistic insights from forward and reverse evolutionary genetics - Two tales of polyploid adaptation”

Lecture hall H230, COPT-Building (315), University of Cologne (hybrid)

21.01.2025, 4:00 p.m. CET,Dr. Dana Lauenroth, University of Lübeck

Title of the talk: “Assessing Herbicide Resistance - Mathematical Models of Weed Management and Resistance Evolution”

Conference room 0.02 (Aquarium), Building of Theoretical Physics (326), Zülpicher Straße 77a, 50937, University of Cologne (hybrid)

17.12.2024, 4:00 p.m. CET, Dr. José María Gómez, Experimental Station of Arid Zones (EEZA-CSIC), Spain

Title of the talk: “Be beneficial for the wrong reason: Exploring the adaptive value of plasticity in Moricandia”

Building 26.24, Floor U1, Hörsäle 6L, HHU Düsseldorf (hybrid)

10.12.2024, 4:00 p.m. CET,Prof. Eric Schranz, Wageningen University

Title of the talk: “Maroon rice genomic diversity reflects 350 years of colonial history”

Lecture hall 4, CoMB-Building (301), 4th floor, University of Cologne (hybrid)

15.10.2024, 3:30 p.m. CET,Prof. Ronald Pierik, Wageningen University

Title of the talk:“Light signaling integration over spatial scales regulates plant developmental plasticity”

Seminar room 0.40, CoMB-Building (301), University of Cologne (hybrid)

15.10.2024, 4:30 p.m. CET,Prof. Christa Testerink, Wageningen University

Title of the talk: “Think global, act local; Getting to the roots of plant resilience to salinity stress”

Seminar room 0.40, CoMB-Building (301), University of Cologne (hybrid)

24.06.2024, 4:00 p.m. CET, Prof. Jill Anderson, University of Georgia, USA

Title of the talk: “Local adaptation in a rapidly changing climate: Insights from a North American wildflower”

Lecture hall 26.11. HS 6A, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf (hybrid)

11.06.2024, 3:00 p.m. CET, Mini-Symposium

Dr. Jana Ebler, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf will talk about “Pangenome-based genome inference”

Prof. Yun S. Song, University of California, Berkeley, will talk about “Predicting functional constraints in proteins and non-coding DNA”.

Lecture hall 4, 4th floor, CoMB (Building 301), University of Cologne (hybrid)

16.04.2024, 4:00 p.m. CET,Prof. Anke Steppuhn, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart

Title of the talk: “Bitter and sweet: A nightshade defends itself against herbivores”

Lecture hall 4, 4th floor, CoMB (Building 301), University of Cologne (hybrid)

29.02.2024, 4:00 p.m. CET,XXVIIIth Cologne Minisymposium on Plant Biology (TRR341-sponsored event)

Lecture hall 0.024, Biozentrum (Building 304)

06.02.2024, 4:00 p.m. CET, Prof. Anu Eskelinen, University of Oulu, Finland

Title of the talk: “Mechanisms of biodiversity change – insights from plant communities in the Anthropocene”

Lecture hall 0.024, Biozentrum (Building 304), University of Cologne (hybrid)

30.01.2023, 4:00 p.m. CET,Dr. Heiko Vogel, MPI for Chemical Ecology, Jena

Title of the talk: “A (limited) genomic perspective on Insect Adaptive Strategies to Host Plant Defenses”

Lecture hall 0.40, Centrer of Molecular Biology (building 301), University of Cologne (hybrid)

16.01.2024, 4:00 p.m. CET, Dr. Stephan Schiffels, MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig

Title of the talk: “Spatial inference of population structure and prehistoric human mobility from ancient and modern genomes.”

Lecture hall 4 (4th floor), Centrer of Molecular Biology (building 301), University of Cologne (hybrid)

21.11.2023, 4:00 p.m. CET,Prof. Arthur Korte, University of Würzburg

Title of the talk: “Natural variation in gene regulatory networks”

Lecture hall 0.40, Centrer of Molecular Biology (building 301), University of Cologne (hybrid)

26.09.2023, 4:00 p.m. CET,Prof. Michael Lenhard , University of Potsdam

Title of the talk: “Elucidating the molecular basis of floral adaptations to promote outbreeding”

Lecture hall S231, COPT Zentrum (building 315), University of Cologne (hybrid)

01.08.2023, 4:00 p.m. CET, Prof. Sileshi Nemomissa Duguma, Addis Ababa University

Title of the talk: “Afro-alpine “Sky Islands”: Biological dynamics, Speciation and Climate Change”

Lecture hall 0.024, Biozentrum (building 304), University of Cologne

20.06.2023, 4:00 p.m. CET,Prof. Peter Beerli, Florida State University (hybrid)

Title of the talk: “Population divergence estimation”

Lecture hall 4.30, 4^th floor of the CoMB (building 301), University of Cologne

09.05.2023, 4:00 p.m. CET,Dr. Vincent Castric, Evo-Eco-Paléo unit, Lille University

Title of the talk: “Genomic basis of diallelic self-incompatibility in the oleaceae”

Lecture hall 0.40, CoMB (building 301), University of Cologne (hybrid)

09.05.2023, 5:00 p.m. CET,Dr. Camille Roux, Evo-Eco-Paléo unit, Lille University

Title of the talk: “Speciation dynamics in plants versus animals”

Lecture hall 0.40, CoMB (building 301), University of Cologne (hybrid)

27.04.2023, 11:00 a.m. CET, Prof. John McKay, Colorado State University

Title of the talk: “Identification of genetic mechanisms to redesign crop production systems for sustainability”

Lecture hall 0.024, Biocenter (building 304), University of Cologne (hybrid)

07.02.2023, 16:00 CET, Prof. Laurent Excoffier, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern

Title of the talk: “Genomic signals of adaptation after a population range expansion”

Lecture hall 0.024, Biocenter (building 304), University of Cologne (hybrid)

26.01.2023, 14:30 CET,Dr. Irene Till Bottraud, French National Centre for Scientific Research | CNRS · GEOLAB

Title of the talk: Seminar on the ecology of Eryngium alpinum

Lecture hall 0.40, Biocenter (building 301) at the University of Cologne

23.-25.01.2023, Seminars within the framework of the W2 Professorship (UoC)

Dr. Lea Frachon, University of Zürich; Ecological genomics of local adaptation to biotic factors
Dr. Marc Stift, University Konstanz, (R)evolutionary Transitions - the Evolution of Selfing and Polyploidization in Plants
Dr. Brook Moyers, University of Mass.,Boston; Evolutionary genetics in a dynamic world
Dr. Adrien Favre, Natural park of the trient valley, Valais, Switzerland; The origin, evolution and conservation of mountain biodiversity
Dr. Anne Roulin, University of Zürich; An integrated approach to studying local adaptation in the wild grass Brachypodium distachyon
Dr. Julia Bechteler, University of Bonn; Causes and consequences of habitat changes on biodiversity

Dr. Markus Stetter, University of Cologne; Adapt or disappear: Genomic determinants of plant adaptation
Dr. Andrea Fulgione, MPI for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne; Plant population genetics and adaptation genomics: towards a genomic view on plant community ecology

Lecture hall 0.40, ground floor, Center of Molecular Biosciences (CoMB); Zülpicher Str. 47a

17.01.2023, 10:00 a.m. CET,Dr. Roswitha Schmickl, Charles University of Prague

Title of the talk: “Adaptation to whole genome duplication in Arabidopsis lyrata”

Seminar room 2.009, Biocenter (building 304), University of Cologne

16.-17.01.2023, Seminars within the framework of the W1 Professorship (HHU)

Dr. Josselin Clo, Charles University Prague; Theoretical and empirical investigations of the evolution of autopolyploidy
Dr. Elena Hamann, Fordham College, NY; Contemporary evolution in plants: what the resurrection approach (fore)tells us about evolutionary change in novel environments
Dr. Lea Frachon, University of Zürich; Ecological genomics of local adaptation to biotic factors

Dr. Bojana Stojanova, University of Ostrava; Ecological and evolutionary consequences of plant responses to environmental changes: examples from arable, endangered and invasive species
Dr. Marc Stift, University Konstanz, (R)evolutionary Transitions - the Evolution of Selfing and Polyploidization in Plants
Dr. Piyal Karunarathne, Uppsala University; Finding genetic signatures of local adaptation; prospects of landscape genomics

ZSL building 22.07 seminar room 00.33, first floor, HHU Universitätsstrasse 1

29.11.2022, 16:00 s.t.,Prof. Aurélien Tellier, Professorship for Population genetics, Technical University of Munich

Title of the talk:“Inference of ecological and life-history traits from full genome polymorphism data: tales of success and limitations”

Lecture hall 0.40, Biocenter (building 301) at the University of Cologne

Past career events

26.02.2026, 5:00 p.m. CET, PhD Career Perspectives Event (online)

Exploring Career Paths Beyond Biology: Data Analyst

Lennard Doering, Data Analyst at parcIT GmbH

11.12.2025, 17:00: PhD Career Perspectives Event (online)

Research conducted outside the walls of academia: Doing a PhD at a Company

Sarah Rheinbay, PhD in Biology, CRISPR and Genome Engineering, Researcher at Bayer

12.06.2025, 5:00 p.m. CET, PhD Career Perspectives Event (online)

PhDs with a vision: Exploring Creative Paths in Science Communication

Dr. Bruna Di Giacomo
Scientific Illustrator at Endosymbiont
Dr. Tanio (Gaetano) Calabrese
Public Outreach, Media and Communication Manager
at CECAD, University of Cologne

24.04.2025, PhD Career Perspectives Event (online)

Early Start-Up & Technology Transfer

Dr. Helen Dauben, Postdoctoral researcher at the MPI for Biology of Ageing, Cologne

20.03.2025, 1:30 p.m. CET, Caree talk - Cologne Spring Meeting 2025

Prof. Nicole van Dam, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena

17.03.2025, 5:00 p.m. CET, The Career Perspectives Event goes Cologne Spring Meeting 2025!

Dr. Dorit Grundewald, Scientific Coordinator, Food Security Network, University of Cologne
Christina Kothes M.Sc., Innovation Manager, Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne

20.02.2025, 5:00 p.m. CET, Career Perspectives Event (online)

“Scientific Communication and Collaborations Management”

Dr. Meret Cepero Malo, Scientific Communication and Collaborations Manager, NVision Imaging Technologies

05.12.2024, 4:00 p.m. CET, PhD Career Perspectives Event (online)

Imaging Specialists in Academic Research & Industry

Dr. Astrid Schauss, Head of CECAD / CMMC Imaging Facility, University of Cologne
Dr. Giuseppe Calculli, Field Application Specialist in Multiplexing, Fluorescent Microscopy, Miltenyi Biotec

07.11.2024, 12:00-14:00 CET, INSPIRE career talk

Speaker: Prof. Antje Heese, University of Missouri, USA

O.A.S.E. (Building 16.61), Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf

19.09.2024, 5:00 p.m., "PhD Career Perspectives Event" (Online)

Team Coordinators and Technical Support

Dr. Chiara Calabrese ,Team Coordinator- Technical Support Italy, Global Flow Specialist, Miltenyi Biotec

20.06.2024, 5:00 p.m. CET, "PhD Career Perspectives Event" (online)

Product Management

Dr. Mathilde de Jong, Miltenyi Biotec

18.04.2024, 5:00 p.m. CET, "PhD Career Perspectives Event" (online)

Marketing & Marketing Management

Dr. Kurchi Bhattacharya, Ass. Director, Head of Content Marketing PCR & Genomics, Corporate Communications, QIAGEN

22.02.2024, 5:00 p.m. “PhD Career Perspectives Event - Diagnostic Laboratories" (online event)

Dr. rer. nat. Jelena Maric-Biresev, Scientific Coworker in Cytogenetic Diagnostics, Diagnostic Lab of Institute for Human Genetics, Universtätsklinikum Bonn
Dr. Melanie Polke, Academic Leader of the Molecular Infection Biology Dept. at Wisplinghoff Diagnostics Laboratories, Cologne

18.01.2024, 5:00 p.m. CET, "PhD Career Perspectives Event" (online)

Vlad Averkov (Drug) Safety Manager, BioNTech SE

21.09.2023, 5:00 p.m. CET, "PhD Career Perspectives Event"(online)

Dr. Hans Derk Pannen - Medical Strategy Lead UCB Pharma

29.06.2023, 5:00 p.m. CET, "PhD Career Perspectives Event-Science management" (online)

Dr. Isabell Witt - Scientific Coordinator GSfBS, University of Cologne
Dr. Emmi Wachsmuth - Managing Coordinator CRC 1403, University of Cologne

13.04.2023, 5:00 p.m. CET, "PhD Career Perspectives Event-Scientific Publishing" (online)

Dr. Lucie Laurien - Editor at Cell Reports
Dr. Sara Murru- Publishing and Development Specialist at Frontiers

09.02.2023, 17:00 CET, "PhD Career Perspectives Event-Science communication” (online)

Dr. Anna Euteneuer- Science Communication Officer, University of Cologne
Dr. Mihaela Bozukova- Science Social Media Officer eLife Science Publications & Freelance Science Journalist, Science Communicat

Past meetings

22.-24.09.2025, 5th Internal Progress Colloquium

7.07.2025, 17:00, Grüne Helden: Mit Pflanzen dem Klimawandel trotzen

Panel discussion in German in cooperation with CEPLAS excellence cluster

Place: Haus der Universität, Düsseldorf

22.05.2025, Celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity

Place: Foyer & Lecture hall 0.024, Biozentrum (building 304), University of Cologne

Prof. Teja Tscharntke, University of Göttingen; Harnessing biodiversity-friendly farming without yield loss

Prof. Patrick Fink, University of Cologne; Biodiversity going under - the freshwater biodiversity crisis

18.-20.03.2025,Cologne Spring Meeting "Plant Ecological Genetics"

Place: MTI-Hörsaalgebäude (building 44b), Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 50, 50931

25.-27.09.2024, 4th Internal Progress Colloquium