The Synthesis Centre for Biodiversity Sciences - sDiv

Marten Winter, Scientific Coordinator of sDiv

Carolin Kablau, sDiv Secretary

Part 2

Our platforms

GCEF

Our platforms

William Fagan Paul Leadley

Bernhard Schmid

Jacques RoyStephen Pacala

Ray Callaway

Michel LoreauDavid Schimel

iDiv - Scientific advisory board

BiodivCenter

sDiv - Synthesis Centre for BioDiversity Sciences

• 3 x 4 years• sDiv funding is ca. 170.000-220.000€ a year

(plus permanent staff – 2 persons + support by centre`s Press & It & bioinformatics units)

Creative atmosphere

sDiv support team (+ iDiv Admin)

Franziska Hübner

Carolin Kablau (Secretary)

Marten Winter(Scientific

Coordinator)

Dagmar Bankamp

Agnes Reuter

Volker Grimm (UFZ); leader

Florian Jeltsch (Univ. Potsdam)

Robert Paxton (Univ. Halle)

Klaus Jürgens (Leibniz Inst. for

Baltic Sea Research)

Helmut Hillebrand

(Univ. Oldenburg)

Katrin Boehning-Gaese

(BIK-F, Univ. Frankfurt)

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Carolin KablausDiv secretary

1st sDiv open call for Workshops, PostDocs & Sabbaticals

• Published January 2013• Deadline was 1.4. 2013

• 13 Workshops in 2013 • 11 associated PostDocs will start until mid of 2014

(5 already did)• 8 Workshops in 2014 with 3 associated PostDocs (excl.

upcoming new sDiv calls)

Examples of Topics: – Synthesizing population, community, genetic and evolutionary dynamics

– Stoichiometric constraints of biodiversity – functioning relationships

– Using Tree Diversity as an Insurance for the Stable Functioning of Forest Ecosystems

– Biodiversity across spatial scales - linking macroecological models to local-scale biodiversity patterns

Workshops 2013/2014

• 13 Workshops in 2013 • 11 associated PostDocs will start until mid of 2014 (5 already

did)• 8 Workshops in 2014 with 3 associated PostDocs (excl. upcoming new sDiv calls)

Examples of Topics: – Synthesizing population, community, genetic and evolutionary dynamics

– Stoichiometric constraints of biodiversity – functioning relationships

– Using Tree Diversity as an Insurance for the Stable Functioning of Forest Ecosystems

– Biodiversity across spatial scales - linking macroecological models to local-scale biodiversity patterns

sDiv will then thus have welcomed ca. 450 scientists in 2013 + 100 in 2014 (excl. upcoming new sDiv calls)

Workshops 2013/2014

• 13 Workshops in 2013 • 11 associated PostDocs will start until mid of 2014 (5 already

did)• 8 Workshops in 2014 with 3 associated PostDocs (excl. upcoming new sDiv calls)

Examples of Topics: – Synthesizing population, community, genetic and evolutionary dynamics

– Stoichiometric constraints of biodiversity – functioning relationships

– Using Tree Diversity as an Insurance for the Stable Functioning of Forest Ecosystems

– Biodiversity across spatial scales - linking macroecological models to local-scale biodiversity patterns

sDiv will then thus have welcomed ca. 450 scientists in 2013 + 100 in 2014 (excl. upcoming new sDiv calls)

Workshops 2013/2014

We wanted to get the things started and

funding right now is not that limited than in

the next years -> 8-12 workshops + 4

PostDocs a year will be the usual number.

First two sDiv individual PostDoc projects confirmed for funding

• Viktoriia Radchuk: How does biodiversity affect ecosystem functioning and community stability

• Stefano Larsen: Niche, neutrality and the maintenance of biotic diversity in a changing world

PostDocs 2013/2014

First two sDiv individual PostDoc projects confirmed for funding

• Viktoriia Radchuk: How does biodiversity affect ecosystem functioning and community stability

• Stefano Larsen: Niche, neutrality and the maintenance of biotic diversity in a changing world

PostDocs 2013/2014

Sabbatical

•Colleen Webb (iDiv / MPI-BGC; Colorado State University)starting August 2013

•Evan Weiher (Univ Wisconsin – Eau Claire)

Joint SESYNC-UFZ-sDiv callSESYNC: National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (US)UFZ: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ

• February 2014-December 2015

Our approach to the analysis and synthesis concept

• Strong basis in Theory

Our approach to the analysis and synthesis concept

• Strong basis in Theory• Bringing together scientists in creative atmosphere

with all support they need

Our approach to the analysis and synthesis concept

• Strong basis in Theory• Bringing together scientists in creative atmosphere

with all support they need• good mix of competences/gender/prof status and

“availabilities” for active research (we suggest persons too)

Our approach to the analysis and synthesis concept

• Strong basis in Theory• Bringing together scientists in creative atmosphere

with all support they need• good mix of competences/gender/prof status and

“availabilities” for active research (we suggest persons too)

• embedded in active research environment

Our approach to the analysis and synthesis concept

• Strong basis in Theory• Bringing together scientists in creative atmosphere

with all support they need• good mix of competences/gender/prof status and

“availabilities” for active research (we suggest persons too)

• embedded in active research environment• No “ivory tower” research

Our approach to the analysis and synthesis concept

• Strong basis in Theory• Bringing together scientists in creative atmosphere

with all support they need• good mix of competences/gender/prof status and

“availabilities” for active research (we suggest persons too)

• embedded in active research environment• No “ivory tower” research• Promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration –

suggesting if necessary additional expertise (i.e. other researchers) as workshop participants

Our approach to the analysis and synthesis concept

• Strong basis in Theory• Bringing together scientists in creative atmosphere

with all support they need• good mix of competences/gender/prof status and

“availabilities” for active research (we suggest persons too)

• embedded in active research environment• No “ivory tower” research• Promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration –

suggesting if necessary additional expertise (i.e. other researchers) as workshop participants

• Fostering interaction between workshops and iDiv scientists and/or sDiv PostDocs/Sabbaticalsc

Our approach to the analysis and synthesis concept

• Support by modellers and biodiversity informaticians

• Support by Theory and Synthesis lab

Why you have taken this approach? Why Synthesis?

• To foster products that make a difference. Not any synthesis, but the synthesis that makes the difference for theory formation.  

• Instead of adding just more specific theories, which very likely will be no more comprehensive and predictive than most existing theories, we focus on synthesizing those theories.

What you perceive are your strengths and weaknesses–and legacy?Legacy•sPlot – Global Database on vegetation plot data combined with trait data•Etc.

What you perceive are your strengths and weaknesses–and legacy?Pro’s:•iDiv is both, a research and synthesis center•iDiv is embedded in a regional network of biodiversity research •(planned) infrastructure & LeipzigCon’s:•Combination of proffessorships will be fundamental for research focus (relies on persons)•Distraction – e.g. Leipzig•Not enough PostDoc support to finalize products•too fast start with too few staff

What is the role of your Centre in fostering new science and discoveries ?

• In future a hopefully major one

• In trying to link international scientists and the German scientific community, we also hope to play a leading role in Germany as well.

• Thus increasing the visibility of the German scientific community is a role too…

This meetingDiscussions about:

•the importance of synthetic research for thefuture in ecology

•future collaborations, ideas for joint calls/topics •Sharing tools and evaluation experiences•experiences in running a synthesis centre (from calendar, wiki stuff, online conference systems to topic search etc)•How to go beyond NCEAS & Co•Joint ideas how to suppport IPBES•…time for conceptual thinking without admin stuff in my office…

Merci beaucop!

Yours sMarten…

What happened already?

It‘s going to be very busy…

Calendar with workshop-dates 2013