Assignments and Research Activities:

• Head of the research group “Beneficial Arthropods and Functional Biodiversity”.
• Research on identification, production and use of invertebrate biological control agents for the regulation of native and invasive pests in agriculture.
• Development of strategies for conservation and enhancement of beneficial arthropods in agroecosystems.
• Methods for identification and quality control of invertebrate biological control agents in mass rearing and production.
• Further development of methods for testing side-effects of plant protection measures on non-target organisms and for risk assessment of exotic biological control agents.

Memberships:

• Involvement in the EPPO/IOBC Panel on „Biological control agents” for elaboration of recommendations on import and release of exotic biological control agents.
• Member of the German Society for General and Applied Entomology  (DGaaE)
• Member of the German Phytomedical Society r.s. (DPG)
• Head of the Working Group „Beneficial arthropods and entomopathogenic nematodes“ of the DGaaE & DPG.
• Member of the  “International Organization for Biological and Integrated Control of Noxious Animals and Weeds / West Palaearctic Regional Section”(IOBC/WPRS): - Convenor of the Publication Commission

Publications in the Julius Kühn-Institut