Prof Prof h.c. Dr Ursula Siebert appointed Director of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research
On 1 July 2026, wildlife veterinarian Prof Prof h.c. Dr Ursula Siebert took office as Director of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW). At the same time she was appointed Professor of Interdisciplinary Wildlife Science at the Freie Universität Berlin – a joint appointment of the University and the Leibniz-IZW. Most recently, Siebert headed the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover, Foundation.
Siebert studied veterinary medicine in Gießen (Germany) and Nantes (France) and specialised, amongst other things, in wildlife biology and medicine, and veterinary pathology in the USA, Canada, Gießen and France. She completed her PhD in Brussels and Gießen on the effects of mercury in the organs of small mammals. She completed her habilitation in zoology at Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel (Germany), focusing on human influence on the health status of marine mammals. The highly decorated wildlife veterinarian’s research focuses on wildlife ecology and diseases, zoonotic pathogens, habitat use and bioacoustics, feeding ecology, endocrinology, immunology and reproduction. Wildlife ranging from insects to blue whales are among the species she has studied. Her research, which is predominantly funded by third-party grants, is carried out all over the world. Investigating the effects of human activities on wildlife and developing management and conservation strategies for wildlife are of particular importance to her work, which is why she also represents Germany on numerous expert committees of international organisations.
At the Leibniz-IZW, Siebert is taking up the post of director of a modern, internationally renowned centre of excellence that conducts wildlife research for conservation in the context of global environmental change and takes a holistic approach to wildlife research, from the molecular to the landscape level. IZW scientists combine excellent basic research with applied research addressing the most pressing challenges of conservation in the Anthropocene – the era of enormous human influence on natural systems. Siebert has set specific goals for the further development of the Institute during her tenure: making greater use of the IZW’s expertise to address challenges in Germany and Europe; establishing and expanding support for early-career researchers, for example through the ECZM’s residency programmes in the fields of wildlife and zoo animals in collaboration with the Free University of Berlin; and extending this work to include aquatic wildlife research.
The position as Director of the Leibniz-IZW is linked to the appointment to the Chair of Interdisciplinary Wildlife Science at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Freie Universität Berlin. This joint appointment underlines the close scientific ties between the Leibniz-IZW and Freie Universität Berlin and strengthens research and teaching in the field of interdisciplinary zoo and wildlife research.
Following the end of Prof Heribert Hofer’s term as Director of the Leibniz-IZW in April 2025 and until Prof Siebert’s appointment, Prof Jörns Fickel, Head of the Department of Evolutionary Genetics, served as Director of the Institute. The Leibniz-IZW thanks him for his dedicated and thoughtful leadership of the Institute during the transitional period.
Contacts
Leibniz Institut for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) in the
Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V.
Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315 Berlin, Deutschland
Prof Prof h.c. Dr Ursula Siebert
Director
phone: +49(0)30 5168100
email: direktor@izw-berlin.de
Jan Zwilling
Team Lead Science Communication
phone: +49(0)30 5168121 | +49(0)1512 6764603
email: zwilling@izw-berlin.de | presse@izw-berlin.de