Bernd Haenfling
Freshwater Ecologist & Teacher at the University of Hull
Bernd’s childhood fascination with pond dipping and “trout tickling” motivated him to study Biology at the University of Bayreuth/Germany where he specialised in Freshwater Ecology.
He graduated with a Diplom Thesis on the movement patterns of brown trout in freshwater pearl mussel streams in Northern Bavaria, influenced by J.M Elliott’s papers on brown trout ecology. During his PhD he discovered the power of using molecular tools to study ecological and evolutionary processes. Ever since his research has been dedicated to the molecular ecology of aquatic ecosystems and populations and he has published over 60 peer-reviewed papers on the topic.
An overarching aim in Bernd’s research is to understand the natural and anthropogenic processes which determine the distribution of freshwater biodiversity. This includes many research papers on the phylogeography and population genetics of freshwater fish and invertebrates, and on using population genomic approaches to understand local adaptations of freshwater fish. Most recently his research has focused in the development of environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches to monitor freshwater diversity and his research group has made pioneering contributions to the field. This includes the development of eDNA metabarcoding to estimate fish community diversity for WFD monitoring of lentic ecosystems and fundamental research such as using eDNA approaches to investigate ecological questions in aquatic ecosystems. Bernd is also interested in evidence-based conservation and in translating fundamental research into management strategies and policies. To that end he has always engaged directly with stakeholders to ensure maximum knowledge transfer.
Bernd is a Reader at the University of Hull where he teaches ecology, evolution and conservation biology to students at undergraduate and MSc level.
