Prof. Dr. Gerald Heckel

Group leader

Phone
+41 31 684 30 29
E-Mail
gerald.heckel@unibe.ch
Office
D304
Postal Address
Institute of Ecology and Evolution
University of Bern
Baltzerstrasse 6
CH-3012 Bern

Research interests

I have relatively diverse research interests in evolutionary biology with topics ranging from speciation and reproductive isolation, invasion processes, behavior genetics to host-pathogen co-evolution. Research approaches span genome and transcriptome analyses as well as the use of "classical" molecular markers and morphological data, but we may also set up specific experiments in the laboratory and perform extensive observations in the field. Study organisms are most often rodents of the Microtus and Myodes genus and their more or less faithful parasites, but also other vertebrates and invertebrates. My recent publications below give a flavor of my research interests and study organisms.

Editorial boards

Conservation Biology, since 2013
Heredity, since 2016
BMC Genetics, 2009 - 2020

Curriculum vitae

2010- Group leader, CMPG, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern
2019 Outstanding teaching evaluation, Faculty of Science, University of Bern
2018 Teacher of the Year, Department of Biology, University of Bern
2016-
 Associate Professor, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern
2013
Offer for Full Professorship for Ecology and Evolution, University of Mainz, Germany; declined
2010  Offer for Associate Professorship for Molecular Ecology, University of Frankfurt, Germany; declined
2008  Habilitation, Venia Docendi for Molecular Ecology, University of Bern
2001-2009  Research group leader, CMPG, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern
2000-2001  Postdoc, Zoological Institute, University of Bern
1996-2000  PhD thesis with Prof. Dr. Otto von Helversen, Institute of Zoology, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
1996-1999
14 months of fieldwork in Costa Rica and Panama
1989-1995  Undergraduate studies of biology at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany