Permanent staff
Magnus Wahlberg is the daily leader of the laboratory and Associate Professor at SDU. He majored in Physics and Biology and worked with fish and seal biology in Sweden before starting a PhD in Denmark in marine bioacoustics. He works on hearing and sound production of marine mammals and fish. He is also in charge of the outreach program at the Institute of Biology.
Hans-Ulrik Risgaard is professor in marine biology at SDU and specializes in the feeding ecology and physiology of marine invertebrates.
Lee Miller (USA/Denmark) is Emeritus at the Institute of Biology, University of Southern Denmark. He is active in a few research projects, specifically the behavior of wild harbor porpoises to anthropogenic sounds (using “state-of-the-art” tags) and the evolution of hearing in harbor porpoises and other small odontocetes using high frequency narrow band biosonar.
Sonja Rasmussen is laboratory technician the the Institute of Biology. She visits Kerteminde once every week and take care of the labs as well as purchasing.
Niels Christian With Møller: Technician (in Kerteminde once every week)
Post docs
Josephine Goldstein: Inflation-contraction behavior of small sponge (Halichondria panicea) explants in response to mechanical and chemical stimuli. My present studies focus on providing a basic understanding of intrinsic and extrinsic parameters involved in the contractile behavior of small explants of the breadcrumb sponge Halichondria panicea, focusing on the role of sensory structures, chemical messenger-based systems and environmental drivers which may ultimately control the sponge’s filtration rate and possibly other physiological activities.
Kirstin Andersen: Hearing abilities of grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) and marine birds in air and under water. The increase of anthropogenic activities (shipping activity, windmill parks, etc) has led to a higher risk of interactions between marine life and humans. To understand the effects of these impacts on grey seals and marine birds requires first an understanding of their hearing sensitivity, both in air and under water. I focus on psychophysical methods using operant conditioning with positive reinforcement training.
Lars Kumala: Demography of marine sponges.
Brian Strehlow is a postdoc in the Nordcee group within SDU’s Department of Biology under the supervision of Don Canfield. He is originally from the USA, but he is currently learning Danish. His research focuses on determining oxygen limits to sponge livelihood. Working with Astrid Schuster and Lars Kumala, he is also exploring potential changes in the activity of the sponge microbiome under different oxygen concentrations. Finally, he is interested in identifying any possible signaling between the microbiome and the sponge itself.
Astrid Schuster is a postdoc in the Nordcee group within SDU’s Department of Biology under the supervision of Don Canfield. Her research focuses on sponge evolution and their tolerance to extreme oxygen levels. Working together with Brian Strehlow and Lars Kumala, she additionally will explore potential changes in the activity of the sponge microbiome under different oxygen concentrations. Finally, she is interested in comparative sponge genomics to evaluate gene pathways involved in oxygen metabolism.
PhD students
Lars Seidelin: ‘Stimulating academic learning of and interest in marine biology in school children and high school students’. The primary objective of this project is to evaluate to what extent young people’s interest in and education within the marine biological field can be positively affected by outreach and teaching activities on the sunken Ærøsund ferry. As a means of determining this effect, I will develop an underwater laboratory on the ferry, from where research and displays of biological succession will be transmitted to the students. Supervisors: Marianne Holmer and Magnus Wahlberg.
Kenneth Sørensen: 'Hearing in penguins'. Supervisor: Magnus Wahlberg
Master students
Gema Palacino Gonzales (Spain): Harbour porpoise acoustic behavior. Supervisor: Magnus Wahlberg
Melanie Brauckhoff (Denmark): Cephalopod vision. Supervisors: Maria Wilson and Magnus Wahlberg
Robin Huzell (Denmark): Marine biology outreach. Supervisors: Lars Seidelin and Magnus Wahlberg
Employees
Rachael Kealy (Research Assistant, Ireland): Sponge physiology
Sara Ortiz (Research Assistant, Spain): Drone recordings of porpoises and seals.
Sofie Berg Hansen (Research Assistant, Denmark): Marine mammal and bird husbandry and training
Guests
Kirby Parnell (Fulbright scholar, 2018-2019): Harbour seal acoustic behavior
Johanna Stedt (PhD student, Lund University, Sweden): Harbour porpoise behavioural ecology
Dennis Brennecke (PhD student, Hannover, Germany): Harbour porpoise behavior around fishing gear
Former PhD students
Kirstin Anderson Hansen (Denmark; SDU 2017): Hearing in air and underwater of the great cormorant
Lara Delgado (Spain; SDU 2016): Ontogeny of echolocation in porpoises and dolphins.
Meike Linnenschmidt (Germany; SDU 2012): Hearing in the harbour porpoise
Former MSc Students
Victoria Greenhalgh (U.K.): Sound production of cod (Gadus morhua). Supervisor: Magnus Wahlberg
Charlotte Neumann (Denmark): Behaviour of whitebeaked dolphins in Iceland. Supervisors: Magnus Wahlberg and Marianne Rasmussen
Anna Osiecka (Poland): Harbour seal Seal acoustic behavior. Supervisors: Magnus Wahlberg and Jakob Tougaard
Sofie Berg Hansen ( Denmark): Sound production in guillemots. Supervisor: Magnus Wahlberg
Helen Rössler (Germany): Sound production in harbour seals . Supervisor: Magnus Wahlberg and Marianne Rasmussen
Emilie Nicoline Stepien (Denmark): Drone observations of cetaceans. Supervisors: Magnus Wahlberg and Morten Tange Olsen
Ilektra Amirali (Greece): Seal behavior towards ship noise. Supervisors: Magnus Wahlberg, Jakob Tougaard, Lonnie Mikkelsen and Jonas Teilmann
Michail Ragkousis (Greece): Bouyancy budget of harbour porpoises. Supervisor: Magnus Wahlberg
Rachael Kealey (Ireland): Biology of sponges. Supervisor: Hans-Ulrik Risgaard
Simeon Smeele (Neatherlands): Pinniped cognition. Supervisor: Magnus Wahlberg
Saara Mäkelin (Finland): Sound production and behaviour in cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Chandra Simanowsky (Germany): Public outreach of natural sciences
Alexandra Tòth (Hungary / University of Copenhagen): Playback sounds for porpoises
Kirstine Feldskov Hansen (Denmark): Harbour porpoise predator-prey interactions studied with drones
Jonas Liechti (Denmark): Communication and interpretation in Danish exhibit centeres
Claire Hermans (ERASMUS MSc project; Belgium): Hearing in harbour porpoises
Søs Gerster Engbo (Denmark): Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) demography; Supervisors: Owen Jones, Luca Börger and James Bull
Kasper Fjordside (Denmark): How to boost the interest in natural sciences using training and psychophysics. Supervisors Magnus Wahlberg and Lars Seidelin.
Kenneth Sørensen (Denmark): Underwater hearing in humans
Hector Fernandez (Spain): Cognition in marine mammals
Jacopo di Clemente (Italy): The effects of whale watching on humpback whales
Sara Ortiz (Spain): Cognitive studies of parrots
Alyssa Maxwell (Canada): In-air hearing thresholds of the great cormorant
Annika Toth (Germany): Hearing pathways in harbour porpoises
Malene Minds (Denmark): Mother-calf interactions in dolphins and porpoises
Daniela Prömper (Germany): Field study of porpoises using drones
Luca Gazetta (Italy): Detailed description of fossilized teeth from killer sperm whales
Joanna Sarnocinska (Poland): Harbour porpoise reactions to ship noise
Johannes Baltzer (Germany): The effects of wind farm constructions on harbour porpoises
Nina Bircher (Switzerland): Harbour seal sound production
Johanna Stedt (Sweden / Lund University): Harbour porpoise distribution around Kullaberg
Rasmus Sloth Pedersen (Denmark): Hearing in porpoises
Tina Huulvej (Denmark): Cormorants reaction to sound
Julia Madsen (Denmark): The effects of marine biology teaching programs on students
Sasia Johansen (Denmark): Hearing in the great cormorant
Lars Seidelin (Denmark): Hearing in the great cormorant
Former employees
Maria Wilson (post doc)
Florian Lüskow (research assistant)
Kim Lundgreen (research assistant)
Sara Ortiz (student helper)
Alyssa Maxwell (student helper)