Rapid Adaptive Change – Connecting biological collections and data science to understand evolution in a warmer world

Understanding the responses of organisms to environmental change is critical to managing and preserving biodiversity, especially in the light of global climate change. Our aim is to establish a dynamic, collegiate and inclusive graduate school (Graduiertenkolleg; GRK) that will identify and quantify rapid and adaptive organismal changes. Our approach is taxonomically and functionally broad, spanning genomic, molecular, morphological, physiological and community level analyses in animals, plants and fungi. Our GRK for Rapid Adaptive Change (GRK-RAC) will apply experimental evolution, phylogenomics, network analyses as well as utilize the rich biological collections that have been capturing diversity over the past 200 years. Central to all projects is a data-science approach to handle and analyse large and complex data. The GRK-RAC deepens the collaboration between the Universität Hamburg and the recently established Leibniz Institute for Biodiversity Change in Hamburg.

Duration: 2025-2028
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Dominik Begerow
Vice Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Kathrin Anna Otte

PIs:
Prof. Dr. Dominik Begerow
Prof. Dr. Jochen Fründ
Prof. Dr. Mariella Herberstein
Prof. Dr. Kathrin Anna Otte
Prof. Dr. Elisa Schaum
Prof. Dr. Chris Biemann