Courses, Defenses & Events

January 18, 2026

IMPRS organised events in 2026

  • 1st conference on multiple global change factors and plant invasions, 30. March - 2. April 2026 in Konstanz, website
  • IMPRS Symposium: 16. - 17. April, tba
  • IMPRS PhD student retreat: 18. - 20. May 2026, Tübingen
  • Scientific Writing Workshop: 2. - 3. July 2026, U KN
  • Grant Proposal Writing Workshop: 6. - 7. July 2026, U KN
  • Welcome Week: 5. - 9. October 2026, U KN / Möggingen

Please also keep an eye on the courses, workshops, and coachings offered via the Planck Academy (MPG) and the Konstanz Research School (KRS) at the U KN!

 

Upcomming Events, Seminars, Courses

Camera trapping for large scale monitoring

Institute Seminar by Fabiola Iannarilli
  • Date: Feb 10, 2026
  • Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Fabiola Iannarilli
  • Fabiola Iannarilli works on identifying drivers of species distribution and population dynamics at local and global scale. As a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Fabiola aims at assessing the impact of humans and domestic animals on the occurrence and activity patterns of mammals across Europe. Most of her recent work centers on new advancements in the collection, processing, and analysis of camera-trap data to inform wildlife conservation, monitoring and management. Fabiola is passionate about supporting collaborative approaches in ecological research. She coordinates Snapshot Europe, a collaborative, pan-European camera-trap project that surveys wildlife using standardized protocols, and is a co-lead in the Biodiversa+ project Big_Picture, which aims at integrating Europe’s camera-trap wildlife data using shared digital infrastructure, AI, and analytical tools to enable continent-scale assessments of species’ status for policy-making.
  • Location: University of Konstanz + online
  • Room: ZT702 + online
  • Host: Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
  • Contact: refrat@ab.mpg.de
Over the past three decades, camera trapping has rapidly evolved into a central tool for wildlife monitoring and ecological research. Camera-trap data are nowadays widely used to quantify population-level metrics such as species occurrence, abundance, activity patterns, behavior, and reproduction ... [more]

ERC Starting Grant Support for Postdocs

Institute Seminar by Daniel Piechowski
  • Date: Feb 24, 2026
  • Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Daniel Piechowski
  • Location: Hybrid meeting
  • Room: Seminar room MPI-AB Bücklestrasse + Online
  • Host: Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
  • Contact: dpiechowski@ab.mpg.de
We will introduce a new MPI-AB-wide support offer for postdocs considering an ERC Starting Grant application. The ERC Starting Grant is less about having more data and more about having the right idea. Building on our institute’s experience, this initiative aims to help postdocs assess readiness ... [more]

1st Conference on Multiple Global Change Factors and Plant Invasions

1st Conference on Multiple Global Change Factors and Plant Invasions
[more]

Institute Seminar by Sissel Sjoberg

Institute Seminar by Sissel Sjoberg
  • Date: Apr 7, 2026
  • Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Sissel Sjoberg
  • Host: Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
  • Contact: ksokolovskis@ab.mpg.de
[more]

Do animals understand death

Institute Seminar by Susana Monsó
  • Date: Apr 14, 2026
  • Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Susana Monsó
  • Susana Monsó is associate professor of philosophy in the Department of Logic, History, and Philosophy of Science at the National Distance Education University. Her work focuses on the socio-cognitive capacities of animals and their ethical implications. She has published in leading journals in her field, such as Philosophical Quarterly, British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, and Philosophy of Science. Her book, Playing Possum: How Animals Understand Death (2024, Princeton University Press) was recommended in The New York Times and The Guardian and selected as one of the best books of 2024 by The New Yorker.
  • Host: Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
  • Contact: zgoldsborough@ab.mpg.de
When the Virginia opossum feels threatened, she becomes paralysed, her body temperature drops, her breathing and heart rate are reduced to a minimum, her tongue turns blue, and her glands simulate the smell of rot. Despite her convincing corpse disguise, the opossum is paying close attention to her ... [more]

The ecology of collective behavior across oceanic scales

Institute Seminar by Will Oestreich
  • Date: Apr 21, 2026
  • Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Will Oestreich
  • Will Oestreich studies animal behavior in dynamic and changing ecosystems. He is a group leader in the Department of Evolutionary Biology & Environmental Studies at the University of Zurich, and an affiliated researcher with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Will has a particular interest in oceanic ecosystems, exploring how biophysical variation and information interact to shape behavior in the open and deep ocean. He also interrogates how we as humans can collectively understand, steward, & adapt to the changing ecosystems of which we are all a part.
  • Host: Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
  • Contact: spashchevskaya@ab.mpg.de
Oceanic ecosystems comprise Earth's largest living space. In these vast, fluid, and mostly dark ecosystems, resources aggregate in patchy, fleeting hotspots of biological activity. These conditions pose immense challenges both for resident lifeforms and researchers seeking to elucidate their ... [more]

Institute Seminar by Sebastian Sosa

Institute Seminar by Sebastian Sosa
  • Date: Apr 28, 2026
  • Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Sebastian Sosa
  • Host: Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
  • Contact: bbarrett@ab.mpg.de
[more]

When Fear Enters the Lab: Bullying, Power, and the Erosion of Scientific Integrity

Institute Seminar by Leah P. Hollis
  • Date: May 26, 2026
  • Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Leah P. Hollis
  • Associate Dean for Access, Equity and Inclusion; Professor of Education, Education Policy Studies Penn State University. Leah P. Hollis EdD, the inaugural Associate Dean of Access, Equity and Inclusion is national and international expert on workplace bullying. Her most recent book, Instrumental Social Justice in Higher Education Eight Surveys for Workplace Bullying and Social Justice Research which was released by Routledge publications in 2024, is an extension of her work on bullying in higher education. Other notable work includes Human Resource Perspectives on Workplace Bullying in Higher Education addresses structural problems that enable workplace bullying. She has spoken nationally and internationally to help over 350 schools address incivility on campus. Dr. Hollis has an extensive career in higher education administration and has held senior leadership and faculty posts. Dr. Hollis has taught at Northeastern University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Rutgers University. Dr. Hollis received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Africana Studies from Rutgers University and her Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her Doctorate of Education from Boston University as a Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellow. Also, Dr. Hollis continued her professional training at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, Higher Education Management Development Program. She earned certification in Project Management and Executive Leadership at Stanford University and Cornell University, respectively. Hollis is also the recipient of the AERA Social Justice Award for 2024.
  • Host: Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
Workplace bullying is increasingly recognized as a serious threat to employee health and organizational sustainability, yet in the United States it is still framed primarily as a legal or interpersonal issue rather than a public health concern. Drawing on survey data from 729 higher education ... [more]

Workshop: When Work Makes You Sick - How Workplace Bullying Undermines Health, Wellness, and Human Sustainability

Workshop with Leah P. Hollis
  • Date: May 27, 2026
  • Time: 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Leah P. Hollis
  • Associate Dean for Access, Equity and Inclusion; Professor of Education, Education Policy Studies Penn State University. Leah P. Hollis EdD, the inaugural Associate Dean of Access, Equity and Inclusion is national and international expert on workplace bullying. Her most recent book, Instrumental Social Justice in Higher Education Eight Surveys for Workplace Bullying and Social Justice Research which was released by Routledge publications in 2024, is an extension of her work on bullying in higher education. Other notable work includes Human Resource Perspectives on Workplace Bullying in Higher Education addresses structural problems that enable workplace bullying. She has spoken nationally and internationally to help over 350 schools address incivility on campus. Dr. Hollis has an extensive career in higher education administration and has held senior leadership and faculty posts. Dr. Hollis has taught at Northeastern University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Rutgers University. Dr. Hollis received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Africana Studies from Rutgers University and her Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her Doctorate of Education from Boston University as a Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellow. Also, Dr. Hollis continued her professional training at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, Higher Education Management Development Program. She earned certification in Project Management and Executive Leadership at Stanford University and Cornell University, respectively. Hollis is also the recipient of the AERA Social Justice Award for 2024.
  • Location: Bückle St. 5a, 78467 Konstanz
  • Host: Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
  • Contact: mhieber@ab.mpg.de
Workplace bullying is increasingly recognized as a serious threat to employee health and organizational sustainability, yet in the United States it is still framed primarily as a legal or interpersonal issue rather than a public health concern. Drawing on survey data from 729 higher education ... [more]

Turning tracks into risk: probabilistic estimation of bird collisions at wind turbines

Institute Seminar by Moritz Mercker
  • Date: Jun 23, 2026
  • Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Moritz Mercker
  • Moritz Mercker is a trained biologist and mathematician with a PhD in applied mathematics. Early in his career, he worked as an ornithologist on different offshore and island field stations, including the North Sea island of Trischen, where long-term bird monitoring and close exposure to protected ecosystems shaped his strong ecological perspective. He currently works at the interface of ecology, statistics, and applied mathematics. Alongside his involvement in academic research on biomathematical methods, he runs a biostatistical consultancy supporting ecological assessments and environmental decision-making. His work is driven by the conviction that biodiversity conservation and the expansion of renewable energy can and must be reconciled through rigorous, data-driven approaches.
  • Location: MPI-AB Möggingen
  • Room: Seminar room MPI-AB Möggingen + Online
  • Host: Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
  • Contact: fiedler@ab.mpg.de
Expanding wind energy requires reliable ways to assess collision risks for birds, especially for protected species. We present a probabilistic framework that translates animal movement data into spatially explicit estimates of collision risk at wind turbines. Using GPS tracking of different breeding ... [more]
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