Leibniz-IZW-Seminars

The Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research regularly organizes scientific seminars on various topics, in which invited speakers or IZW scientists present their work in the form of a lecture. The free lectures take place in the lecture hall of the IZW and are also broadcast live via video.
Interested persons are cordially invited to attend the Leibniz-IZW-Seminars in person or online. You are welcome to sign up for our newsletter at izwseminar@izw-berlin.de. The lectures will be held mostly in English.

Upcoming events

30th September 2026, 1 p.m.
Dr. Joseph Durant (Netherlands Institute of Ecology)
From flexible phenotypes to signals of demographic risk and resilience
How does variation in traits and life histories among individuals scale up to influence population dynamics and persistence? How can we detect and quantify the vulnerability of populations in a changing and strongly seasonal environment? In this seminar, I will bring together several strands of work on phenotypic plasticity, reproductive timing, incubation behaviour, trait-based indicators of population change, and the integration of new observations with long-term ecological datasets. I will discuss how the temporal and spatial scales at which we observe individuals can influence the questions we are able to ask about environmental impacts and population responses. I will then turn to a developing research direction focused on indicators of demographic risk and resilience, which builds on my previous work on season-specific indicators of population decline. I will introduce a recently funded project that will investigate whether seasonal vital rates, early warning indicators, and resilience metrics can reveal emerging population vulnerability before it becomes apparent in annual population counts.

7th October 2026, 1 p.m.
Dr. Robert Koban (QIAGEN GmbH)
Digital PCR with Nanoplates: dPCR as easy as qPCR – seminar including instrument demonstration
Abstract follows

14th October 2026, 1 p.m.
Dr. Smadar Tal (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
From Dam to Neonate: Microbial, Metabolic, and Functional Pathways Shaping Early-Life Development in Dogs
Abstract follows

18th November 2026, 1 p.m.
Marlène Gamelon (French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS))
Title & Abstract follows

16th December 2026, 1 p.m.
Prof. Maria-Jesús Sánchez Calabuig (Complutense University of Madrid)
Title & Abstract follows

Contact
Organization
Constanze Wiechert
Tel: +49(0) 30 5168-336
E-Mail: wiechert@izw-berlin.de, izwseminar@izw-berlin.de

Technical support
Dorina Meneghini
Tel. +49(0)30 5168-340
E-Mail: meneghini@izw-berlin.de

Christine Reusch
Tel. +49(0)30 5168-123
E-Mail: reusch@izw-berlin.de

Accounting
Stefanie Lenz
Tel: +49(0)30 5168-459
E-Mail: lenz@izw-berlin.de


Last Update: 21th September 2026