Prof. Dr. Niklaus Zimmermann

Fonction

chef de groupe, senior scientist

Dynamique du paysage

Macroécologie dynamique

Contact

niklaus.zimmermann(at)wslto make life hard for spam bots.ch

+41 44 739 23 37+41 44 739 23 37

Institut fédéral de recherches sur la forêt, la neige et le paysage WSL
Zürcherstrasse 111
8903 Birmensdorf

Site

Birmensdorf Bi HL E 22

Current positions

Group leader Dynamic Macroecology

Adjunct professor for Macroecology at ETH Zürich

Program leader Extremes

Research Interests

I am interested in macroecology, biodiversity, evolutionary and community ecology and I study taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic patterns from small to large spatial scales. I am also interested in community assembly and biotic interaction processes and in the abiotic drivers that lead to patterns at various spatial scales. I am mostly working with plants and vegetation data, and less often with animals and plant-animal interaction data.

My research thus is embedded in the arena of evolutionary and functional community ecology and biodiversity dynamics. My research focuses strongly on statistical analyses, but uses also dynamic ecological models, combining species, traits and community data sampled across large landscapes to continents, and phylogenies derived for the taxa studied.

Main research topics

The main topics of my research are listed below. Check them out to learn details about my research in these topics.

Biodiversity Dynamics

Theoretical and applied analyses of patterns and the drivers of biodiversity and its dynamics.

Bioclimate Data & Scaling

Development of bioclimatic and environmental data for analysis and modelling.

Global Change Impacts

Assessing impacts on species, biodiversity, ecosystems and the services they provide.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Projects

FlorID - a user-friendly tool to identify Swiss plants from images and coordinates

In collaboration with Info Flora, we develop a web platform and an identification module for the popular FlorApp to make available the capacity of an artificial intelligence to accurately identify Swiss plant species from images and coordinates.

Adhoris

We will provide an overview where and how high resolution, kilometer scale, climate data can provide new insights from climate change impact models. To do so, we will use a set of climate impact models across several sectors, ranging from dynamic vegetation, to hydrology, or biodiversity models.

Blue-green conservation design

This project contributes to the Blue Green Biodiversity Research Initiative - an Eawag-WSL collaboration focusing on Biodiversity at the interface of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

Mikroklimatische Veränderungen beeinflussen Artenvielfalt

Wie wirkt sich die Klimaerwärmung auf die Artenvielfalt in der Schweiz aus? Die Veränderungen des bodennahen Mikroklimas liefern neue Einsichten.

Feedbacks between Biodiversity and Climate

Despite being an essential element of the biodiversity and climate change crisis, the feedback between biodiversity and climate remains an understudied subject in biodiversity and climate science. The project FeedBaCks will focus on this important interaction between the two disciplines.

CHELSA

CHELSA (Climatologies at high resolution for the earth's land surface areas) is a very high resolution (30 arc sec, ~1km) global climate data set currently hosted by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL.

Global blue-green richness differences

This project contributes to the Blue Green Biodiversity Research Initiative - an Eawag-WSL collaboration focusing on Biodiversity at the interface of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

COMECO

The proposed project will focus on floristic data from Switzerland as a pilot system to study the benefits of combining machine learning techniques with spatially explicit ecological and morphological meta information to identify species identities from pictures.

DeSeFoM

ClimEx

Climatic extremes such as droughts, heat waves, and late frost events, are predicted to increase with ongoing climate change and are therefore of primary concern for environmental research. We will develop such data on extreme climatic events on a global scale from 1950-2100.

FORClimateS

The project aims to aggregate and synthesize existing information on different spatial and temporal scales to provide decision-makers with relevant and robust information on short- and long-term risks for forests and forest functions and on adaptation strategies under different climate futures

Ecology of Interactions

Hummingbird-plant interactions across elevation gradients in Central and South America

Photoperiod and ciracian clocks - effects on adaptation and acclimation

Do evolutionary constraints on photoperiod and circadian clocks hinder adaptation and acclimation of plants to climate change? With this project, we will provide the mechanistic basis and a conceptual framework to understand how climatic and daylight/photoperiod cues jointly affects tree functioning.

SpeedMind

The SpeedMind project will focuses on floristic data from Switzerland as a pilot system to set up and study the benefits of data-mining and machine learning techniques for facilitating biodiversity assessments.

DEForScen

Current plastic response of plants to climate change may be reflected by tree health. We investigate tree health data collected on ca. 6000 plots across Europe since the 1980s to figure out whether changes and trends in defoliation permit to identify species-specific response to climate change.

Chamois genetics

In this project, we will sample populations of R. rupicapra across the alpine massif and genotype them using RAD-sequencing. We will investigate the historical and contemporary factors shaping genetic variation within and among populations.

GaSM - The General Allele Simulation Model

To get a better understanding of the processes of diversification, we are developing GaSM (General Allele Simulation Model) which infers biodiversity patterns from historical range dynamics taking into account eco-evolutionary feedbacks.

Shiny Server

The R package "Shiny" offers a simple web application framework for R. Within this internal project we use a dedicated Shiny server to evaluate the capability of web-based Shiny applications for existing work processes and projects at WSL.

ClimSens - Climate Sensitivity of plants and animals in Switzerland

This project assesses the sensitivity of (mostly) plant and animal species to expected climatic changes.

STACCATO

STACCATO is a BiodivERsA project carried out in collaboration with 10 European Institutions and investigates direct effects of climate and land-use change on biodiversity, as well as indirect effects on ecosystem services.

Forest dynamics in Switzerland - pattern, driving forces and ecological implications

Aim of the project is the reconstruction of forest changes in Switzerland (since 1840) and Canton of Zurich (since 1667) to study forest dynamics and search for transition processes.

FORECOM Forest cover changes in mountainous regions

In the Polish-Swiss joint research project Forecom we will analyze historical forest cover changes and their drivers in the Carpatians and Alps. We will develop scenarios of potential future forest cover changes and assess the impact of past and future changes on key ecosystem services.

Waldausdehnung

Ziel des Projektes ist es, zu verbesserten Grundlagen für die politische Lenkung der Waldflächenzunahme im Schweizer Berggebiet beizutragen.

TreeMig

A spatio-temporal forest modelled has been developed to simulate forest dynamics and species migration under a changing climate.

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WSL publications

Publication statistics

	Web of Science	Scopus	gScholar
h-Index	76	78	92
ISI papers	222	236	‐
Total citations	33'408	37'350	55'693
Citations/paper	149.14	157.59	‐

Researcher ID	A-4276-2008
ORCID ID	0000-0003-3099-9604
GoogleScholar	59lbhx4AAAAJ
ResearchGate	Profile

Scientific publication article peer reviewed

Lyu, L.; Leugger, F.; Hagen, O.; Fopp, F.; Boschman, L.M.; Strijk, J.S.; Albouy, C.; Karger, D.N.; Brun, P.; Wang, Z.; Zimmermann, N.E.; Pellissier, L., 2022: An integrated high‐resolution mapping shows congruent biodiversity patterns of Fagales and Pinales. New Phytologist, 235, 2: 759-772. doi: 10.1111/nph.18158

Chauvier, Y.; Descombes, P.; Guéguen, M.; Boulangeat, L.; Thuiller, W.; Zimmermann, N.E., 2022: Resolution in species distribution models shapes spatial patterns of plant multifaceted diversity. Ecography, 2022, 10: e05973 (13 pp.). doi: 10.1111/ecog.05973

Garcés-Pastor, S.; Coissac, E.; Lavergne, S.; Schwörer, C.; Theurillat, J.; Heintzman, P.D.; Wangensteen, O.S.; Tinner, W.; Rey, F.; Heer, M.; Karger, D.N.; Pellissier, L.; Zimmermann, N.E.; Wüest, R.O.; Latzin, S.; Spillmann, J.; Feichtinger, L.; Alsos, I.G., 2022: High resolution ancient sedimentary DNA shows that alpine plant diversity is associated with human land use and climate change. Nature Communications, 13, 1: 6559 (16 pp.). doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-34010-4

Ho, H.; Brodersen, J.; Gossner, M.M.; Graham, C.H.; Kaeser, S.; Reji Chacko, M.; Seehausen, O.; Zimmermann, N.E.; Pellissier, L.; Altermatt, F., 2022: Blue and green food webs respond differently to elevation and land use. Nature Communications, 13, 1: 6415 (12 pp.). doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-34132-9

Liao, Z.; Chen, Y.; Pan, K.; Dakhil, M.A.; Lin, K.; Tian, X.; Zhang, F.; Wu, X.; Pandey, B.; Wang, B.; Zimmermann, N.E.; Zhang, L.; Nobis, M.P., 2022: Current climate overrides past climate change in explaining multi-site beta diversity of Lauraceae species in China. Forest Ecosystems, 9: 100018 (14 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.fecs.2022.100018

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Scientific publication article peer reviewed

Guisan, A.; Bacher, S.; Boillat, S.; Brooks, T.; Schläpfer, M.; Zimmermann, N., 2022: Perdita di biodiversità: cause e conseguenze per la società. In: Guisan, A.; Huggel, C.; Seneviratne, S.I.; Steinberger, J. (eds), 2022: Inversione di tendenza clima e biodiversità. Il Parlamento incontra la scienza. Berna, Accademia svizzera delle scienze naturali (SCNAT). 10-11.

Guisan, A.; Bacher, S.; Boillat, S.; Brooks, T.; Schläpfer, M.; Zimmermann, N., 2022: Verlust der Biodiversität: Ursachen und Folgen für die Gesellschaft. In: Guisan, A.; Huggel, C.; Seneviratne, S.I.; Steinberger, J. (eds), 2022: Trendwende Klima und Biodiversität. Parlament trifft Wissenschaft. Bern, Akademie der Naturwissenschaften Schweiz (SCNAT). 10-11.

Guisan, A.; Bacher, S.; Boillat, S.; Brooks, T.; Schläpfer, M.; Zimmermann, N., 2022: Perte de la biodiversité: causes et conséquences pour la société. In: Guisan, A.; Huggel, C.; Seneviratne, S.I.; Steinberger, J. (eds), 2022: Inverser la tendance: climat et biodiversité. Rencontre entre le Parlement et les scientifiques. Berne, Académie suisse des sciences naturelles (SCNAT). 10-11.

Zimmermann, N., 2021: Research Programme Extremes. In: Ferretti, M.; Fischer, C.; Gessler, A. (eds), 2021: Towards an advanced inventorying and monitoring system for the Swiss forest. Towards an advanced inventorying and monitoring system for the Swiss forest, Birmensdorf. 49-50.

Baltensweiler, A.; Brun, P.; Pranga, J.; Psomas, A.; Zimmermann, N.E.; Ginzler, C., 2020: Räumliche Analyse von Trockenheitssymptomen im Schweizer Wald mit Sentinel-2-Satellitendaten. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Forstwesen, 171, 5: 298-301. doi: 10.3188/szf.2020.0298

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Magazine article and brochures

Bornand, C.; Huck, C.; Descombes, P.; Zimmermann, N.; Eggenberg, S., 2021: Zeit für einen neuen Verbreitungsatlas?. L’heure d’un nouvel atlas de distribution?. FloraCH, 12: 20-22.

Plattner, G.; Fischer, A.; Zimmermann, N., 2020: Klimawandel in der Schweiz - eine Realität. Thema Umwelt, 6-7.

Ottmer, B.; Semadeni, S.; Zimmermann, N., 2019: Act before it is too late. WSL magazine Diagonal, 2019, 1: 16-19.

Ottmer, B.; Semadeni, S.; Zimmermann, N., 2019: Agir avant qu’il ne soit trop tard. Magazine du WSL Diagonale, 2019, 1: 16-19.

Ottmer, B.; Semadeni, S.; Zimmermann, N., 2019: Handeln, bevor es zu spät ist. WSL-Magazin Diagonal, 2019, 1: 16-19.

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CV

Academic degrees and research experience

Academic degrees

MSc	1989. Botany, University of Bern, Dept. of Geobotany and Ecology, Switzerland. Fraktalstufen-Vergleich zwischen Vegetation und Geomorphologie am Beispiel des Gemmipasses, VS, Schweiz
PhD	1996. Botany, University of Bern, Dept. of Geobotany and Ecology, Switzerland. A climatically-sensitive, spatially-explicit model for Alpine vegetation of Switzerland.

Research experience

2021-	Group leader Dynamic Macroecology at WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
2020-	Program leader Extremes at the Swiss Federal research institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
2014-	Adjunct professor for Macroecology at ETH Zürich, Switzerland.
2013-	Senior scientist at WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
2006-2020	Member of the directorate at WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
2006-2013	Head of research unit Landscape dynamics at WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
2001-2006	Project leader and research scientist at WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
1999-2001	Postdoc at WSL.
1997-1999	Postdoc at the Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
1996-1997	Teaching assistant at the University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
1993-1996	PhD student at the University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
1990-1993	Assitant at the University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Professional responsibilities

2022-	Head of the science advisory board of the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, UFZ, Germany.
2021-	Member of the science advisory board of the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, UFZ, Germany.
2021-	Member of the steering committee of the Swiss Data Science Centers, SDSC, ETH domain, Switzerland.
2014-	Member of the science advisory board of the national data ceterfor the Swiss Flora, Info Flora.
2014-2020	Member of the steering committee of the center for climate systems modelling C2SM of ETH Zürich.
2011-2015	Editorial Board member of the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography.
2010-2015	Editorial Board member of the journal Ecography.
2001-2006	Member of the science advisory board of the landscape inventory of WSL.

Honors and awards

2021	Highly cited scientist awarded by Clarivate Analytics (ISI; see here).
2020	Highly cited scientist awarded by Clarivate Analytics (ISI; see here).
2019	Highly cited scientist awarded by Clarivate Analytics (ISI; see here).
2018	Highly cited scientist awarded by Clarivate Analytics (ISI; see here).
2017	Highly cited scientist awarded by Clarivate Analytics (ISI; see here).
2016	Highly cited scientist awarded by Thomson Reuters (ISI; see here).
2015	Highly cited scientist awarded by Thomson Reuters (ISI; see here).
2014	Highly cited scientist awarded by Thomson Reuters (ISI; see here).
2014	Adjunct professor for Macroecology awarded by ETH Zürich.
2007	Honorary professor awarded by the Institute of Applied Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenyang, China.
1996	Fakulty prize awarded by the University of Bern for the MSc thesis.

Teaching / Keynotes

Courses

2016-	ETHZ, Master. Spatial modelling: from climate & land use change to biodiversity conservation with L. Pellissier
2016-	UZH, Bachelor. Guest lectures in Ecosystems and climate. Responsible: Prof. G. Schaepman
2016-	Peking Univ., Summerschool on Species Distribution Modelling with Profs. L. Pellissier, Z. Wang. 5 days.
2010-2015	UZH, Master. Macroecology, climate change and niche evolution.
2009-2012	EcoChange, Summerschool on Predictive Habitat Distribution Modelling with Profs. A. Guisan, W. Thuiller. 5 days.
2007	Univ. Helsinki, Summerschool on Predictive habitat distribution modeling in ecology with Prof. A. Guisan. 3 days.
2006-2015	ETHZ, Master. Advanced topics in landscape ecology with Profs. F. Kienast, M. Bürgi, J. Bolliger. 5 days.
2006-2009	UZH, Master. Plant ecology and predictive spatial modeling.
2002-2005	UNIL, Master. Introduction to Gap Dynamics Modelling . Annual guest lectures.
2002	ETHZ, Master. Introduction to GIS-based climate mapping: concepts, theory, and applications.
2000-2005	ETHZ, Master. Introduction to landscape ecology with F. Kienast.
1996-2004	UNIBE, Master. Introduction to predictive habitat modelling in ecology with F. Kienast.
1996	UNIBE, Master. Concepts and theories in vegetation ecology.

Keynotes

Zimmermann NE, 2022. Invited plenary lecture to the joint annual meeting of the “British Ecological Society” (BES) and the “Royal Meterological Society of England” (RMetS) on “Climate science for ecological forecasting”, London, Great Britain, 6.2021 (under evaluation).

Zimmermann NE, 2022. Invited introductory lecture to the annual meeting of the “Forum Forestier Lémanique”, the forester’s society of the Lac Leman region, organized at the Monastère Notre-Dame des Voirons, Boëge, France, 13.5.2020 (postponed due to Covid-19).

Zimmermann NE, 2019. Plant range re-adjustments from climate change – insights from models and observations. Invited plenary talk at the International Conference on “Cur¬rent and Emerging Topics in Global Change Ecology of Plants” & the 7th Evolutionary Ecology Forum, held at the University of Taizhou, China, 1.-3.11.2019.

Zimmermann NE, 2019. Species distribution models – history, state-of-art and challenges. Invited session introductory talk given at the US-IALE, Fort Collins, 7.-11.4.2019.

Zimmermann NE, 2018. Species distribution models – state-of-art and challenges. Invited plenary talk given at the GMBA/gloBIODISCOVERY – organized symposium on spe¬cies distribution modelling and remote sensing, held at the University of Zürich, 5-7.2.2018.

Zimmermann NE, 2017. Global change and tree distribution – local to global perspectives. Invited plenary talk held at initiating international symposium of the Swiss Forest Lab, Swiss Fed. Research Inst. WSL, Switzerland, 5. September 2017.

Zimmermann NE, 2016. Klimawandel und Standorteignung von Waldbäumen. Invited ple¬nary talk held at "WSL Forum für Wissen 2016", Swiss Fed. Research Inst. WSL, Swit¬zerland, 29. November 2016.

Zimmermann NE, 2016. Matching response and predictor variables in species distribution models - issues of (up-)scaling. Invited plenary talk held at "Summerschool of the Doc¬toral Program in Ecology and Evolution", University of Lausanne, Switzerland, 11. No¬vember 2016.

Zimmermann NE, 2015. Climate change & range shifts in European trees and Alpine plants. Invited plenary talk held at the Forestry University of Beijing, China, 8. November 2015.

Zimmermann NE, 2015. Climate change & range shifts in European trees and Alpine plants. Invited plenary talk held at the "Senkenberg Seminar", Senkenberg Institute and University of Frankfurt, Germany, 15. October 2015.

Zimmermann NE, 2015. Scaling species and biodiversity from plots to landscapes and back. Invited plenary talk held at the "Nancy-Freiburg-Zurich Summerschool", Rieder¬alp, Switzerland, 26. August 2015.

Zimmermann NE, 2015. Global change & biodiversity shifts in European forests and Alpine grasslands. Invited plenary talk held at the "James W. Merchant, Jr., Memorial Workshop", IALE 2015, Portland, USA, 5. July 2015.

Zimmermann NE, 2015. Climate change & range shifts in European trees and Alpine plants. Invited plenary talk held at the "YoMos Annual Workshop", Lachen, Switzerland, 8. May 2015.

Zimmermann NE, 2015. Climate change & range shifts in European trees and Alpine plants - learning from the past to model the future. Invited plenary talk held at the "AK Biogeography annual meeting", Basel, Switzerland, 7. May 2015.

Zimmermann NE, 2015. Mapping and modelling plants from environmental and remote sensing predictors. Invited plenary talk held at the "ForBioSensing // LIFE+ Kickoff Meeting", Warsaw, Poland, 29. January 2015.

Zimmermann NE, 2014. Climate Change & Range Shifts in European Trees - with a focus on the Alps. Invited plenary talk held at the International "Swiss Climate Summerschool", Grindelwald, Switzerland, 3. September 2014.

Zimmermann NE, 2014. Climate Change & Range Shifts in European Trees - with a focus on the Alps. Invited seminar talk held at the Institute on Ecosystems, Montana State University, Bozeman, USA, 18. August 2014.

Zimmermann NE, 2014. Models of growth potential and habitat suitability give partly divergent answers to climate change impact assessments. Invited seminar talk held at the Institute of Applied Ecology, CAS, Shenyang, China, 30. June 2014.

Zimmermann NE, 2014. Climate Change & Range Shifts in European Trees - with a focus on the Alps. Invited seminar talk held at Peking University, Beijing, China, 27. June 2014.

Zimmermann NE, 2014. Climate Change & Range Shifts in European Trees - with a focus on the Alps. Invited seminar talk held at the Kunming Institute of Botany, Kunming, China, 20. June 2014.

Zimmermann NE, 2014. Adaptability and Stability of European forests in relation to biodiversity and expected climate change impacts. Invited plenary talk held at the "FunDiv" workshop, Freiburg, Germany, 10. June 2014.

Zimmermann NE, 2014. "Mobilität von Pflanzen und Vegetation am Beispiel der Alpen und Mitteleuropas" (Mobility of plants and vegetation with examples from the Alps and Central Europe). Invited session talk held at the "NATUR" Annual Congress, Basel, Switzerland, 21. February 2014.

Zimmermann NE, 2013. Modelling Climate Change Impacts on Vegetation and Biodiversity. Invited plenary talk held at the "Plant Science Center" Annual Symposium, Zürich, Switzerland, 8. November 2013.

Zimmermann NE, 2013. Climate Change & Range Shifts in Europe, the European Alps and the Carpathians. Invited plenary talk held at the "Biogeography of the Carpathians" International Symposium, Krakow, Poland, 27. September 2013.

Zimmermann NE, Psomas A & Normand S, 2013. Models of growth potential and habitat suitability give partly divergent answers to climate change impact assessments. Invited talk and session opening held at the "ClimTree 2013" International Symposium, Zürich, Switzerland, 4. September 2013.

Zimmermann NE, 2013. Climate Change and Range Shifts in European Trees – with a focus in the Alps. Invited seminar talk held at the Institute of Botany Seminar, Vienna, Austria, 22. April 2013.

Zimmermann NE, 2013. Climate Change and Range Shifts in Plants of the European Alps. Invited talk to the “Biosphere” session at the „Moutains under Watch 2013“ conference held in Bard, Valle di Aosta, Italy, 20-21. February, 2013.

Zimmermann NE, 2013. Projecting species ranges at large spatial scales. Invited plenary talk held at the Plenary IBS Symposium "Predicting species and biodiversity in a warmer world: are we doing a good job?" held in Miami, FL, USA, 9-12. January 2013.

Zimmermann NE, 2012. Climate Scenarios and Climate Envelopes for Major Tree Species – Climate effects on shifts in range and ha-bitat suitability of tree species of the Alps. Invited plenary talk held at the MANFRED Final Conference held in Rome, Italy, 28. June 2012.

Zimmermann NE, 2012. Climate Change and Biome Shifts - Tree species responses to global change in Europe. Invited plenary talk held at the "Tackling Climate Change: the contribution of forest scientific knowledge" Conference held in Tours, France, 21-24. May 2012.

Zimmermann NE, 2011. Possible Futures of European trees - an assessment of global change effectson forests and landscapes using data, models and model experiments. Invited presentation given to the seminar of the Institute of Applied Sciences, Shenyang, China, 11. May 2011.

Zimmermann NE, 2011. Possible futures of European mountains – an assessment of global change effects on forests and landscapes using data, models and model experiments. Invited plenary talk given to the ECOVEG Symposium, Lausanne, Switzerland, 1. April 2011.

Zimmermann NE, 2010. Possible Futures of European trees - a model-based assessment of global change impacts on trees and forest landscapes with an example bias towards the Alps. Invited presentation given to the "NORA Summerschool" Sandbjerg, Denmark, 3. August 2010.

Zimmermann NE, 2010. Overview of species distribution modelling - Conceptual and Theoretical Aspects forPredicting Species Range Patterns. Invited presentation given to the "NORA Summerschool" Sandbjerg, Denmark, 2. August 2010.

Zimmermann NE, 2010. Possible futures of European trees - a model-based assessment of global change impacts on trees & forest landscapes". Invited presentation given to the "Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity" group of the University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark, 16. April 2010.

Zimmermann NE, 2010. Conceptual and theoretical aspects for forecasting future species responses. Presentation given at the International meeting on "Vegetation Databases" held at the University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany, 24-26. Feb. 2010.

Zimmermann NE, 2009. Predictive species distribution modelling. Lecturing at the National workshop on "Predictive Modelling Challenges" held at the Natural History Museum, Oslo, Norway, 18/19. Nov. 2009.

Zimmermann NE, 2009. Ecological Remote Sensing. Lecturing at the ISPRS International Summerschool on Natural environment management, monitoring and conservation, in Warsaw, Poland, 13-19. July. 2009.

Zimmermann NE, 2009. Biogeography, Changing Climate, and the Calibration of Niches. Presentation given at the "Niche Evolution" conference in Zürich, Switzerland, 3. July 2009.

Zimmermann NE, 2009. Possible futures of European mountains - a model-based assessment of global change impacts on forests & landscapes. Invited plenary talk at the annual "Population Biology Meeting" of GfOe, Bern, Switzerland, 21. May 2009.

Zimmermann NE, 2009. Changing climates and the response of forest landscapes in the European Alps. Invited presentation at the special session on "Landscape Ecology and Global Change" of the US-IALE annual meeting in Snowbird, UT, USA, 14. April, 2009.

Zimmermann NE, 2009. Possible futures of European mountains - a model-based assessment of global change impacts on forests and landscapes. Invited presentation at the Ecology Center Seminars, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA, 8. April 2009.

Zimmermann NE, 2009. Niche constraints and range limits - How will species ranges respond to global climate change? Invited presentation at the GfOe-Macroecology Workshop at Seddiner See, Potsdam, Germany 11-13. March, 2009.

Zimmermann NE, Pearman PB. 2008. Forecasting Biodiversity and Ecosystem Changes - Prospects and Limitations of the Niche Concept in Forecasting. Sackler Symposium, Narional Academy of Science, Irvine, California, USA, 12/13. Dec. 2008.

Zimmermann NE, Gehrig-Fasel J, Rickebusch S, Rutherford GN, Gellrich M, Lischke H & Pearman PB. 2008. Response of forests to combined climate and land use changes: examples from Switzerland and Europe. Gesellschaft für Ökologie, Leipzig, Germany, 19. Sept. 2008.

Zimmermann NE, 2008. Potential future range shifts of European tree species – projections, discussion and possible implications for monitoring. COST E29 Strategic Workshop, Istanbul, Turkey, 12. March 2008.

Zimmermann NE & Schmatz D, 2008. Measured vs. interpolated climate data – what errors do we expect? COST E29 Strategic Workshop, Istanbul, Turkey, 12. March 2008.

Zimmermann NE, 2007. Possible futures of mountain forests: a model-based assessment of climate change effects at the landscape scale in Switzerland. Presented at the Ecology & Evolution Seminar Series at the University of York, United Kingdom, 29. Nov. 2008.

Zimmermann NE, 2007. Where do all these trees come from? Invited presentation at the “land abandonment in Europe” special session of the 2007 IALE world congress. Wageningen, The Netherlands, 9. July 2007.

Zimmermann NE, 2006. Potential Habitat Diversity and Correlates with Plant Species Richness in the Alps and Carpathians. Presented at the International Symposium on “Biodiversity Conservation - From Genes to Habitats”, Davos, Switzerland, 23. Nov. 2006.

Zimmermann NE, Bolliger J, Gehrig-Fasel J, Guisan A, Kienast F, Lischke H, Rickebusch S & Wohlgemuth T, 2006. Wo wachsen die Bäume in 100 Jahren? Keynote presentation at the WSL science forum (Forum für Wissen), Zurich, Switzerland, 8. Nov. 2006.

Zimmermann NE, 2006. Global Change and Mountain Forests. Presented at the International Summerschool on “Mountain Ecology and Alpine Ecosystem Management”, Davos, Switzerland, 15. Sept. 2006.

Zimmermann NE, Eggenberg S & Guisan A, 2006. Predictive modeling of rare and endangered grassland species in Switzerland. Presented in the “Predictive distribution modelling for conservation of biodiversity in Europe” session at the First European Congress of Conservation Biology 2006, Eger, Hungary, 26. Aug. 2006.

Zimmermann NE & Gugerli F, 2005. Linking intra-specific diversity and habitat suitability – a case study using Pinus cembra L. Presented at the Landscape Genetics Session at the XVII Int. Bot. Congress, Vienna, Austria, 23. July 2005.

Zimmermann NE, 2005. Predictive spatial modeling – Linking GIS with field data and statistics. Presented at the POLLANDCAL conference in Besançon, France. 23. May 2005. Keynote.

Zimmermann NE, 2003 Concepts and techniques for spatial modelling of predictive biophysical layers. Paper given to the Graduiertenkolleg Seminar at Bonn University, Dept. of Geography, Bonn, Germany, 10. Nov. 2003.

Zimmermann NE, 2003. Introductory remarks to the session on “GIS, remote sensing and spatial modelling”. Presented at the International Symposium on the “State of the Art in Vegetation Monitoring Approaches”. Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland, 24. March 2003.

Zimmermann NE, 1999. Static and dynamic models in mountain environments. Paper given to the Quaternary Geology Lab Seminar at Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden, 29. Nov. 1999.

Zimmermann NE, 1998. Generating high resolution climate maps for predictive distribution models. Paper given to the Fishery and Wildlife Department Seminar at Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 28. May 1998.

Zimmermann NE, 1997. Generating high resolution climate maps for north-western Wyoming and the Yellowstone Plateau. Paper given to the Conservation Biology Lab Seminar at Stanford University, California, 30. Oct. 1997.

Zimmermann NE, 1996. Generating spatially-explicit response surfaces of alpine vegetation communities using Logit models. Paper given to the ESA Special Symposium on "Predictive Spatial Models in Vegetation Ecology", Providence, Rhode Island, August 1996.

Zimmermann NE & Kienast F, 1995. Climatically sensitive modelling tools to predict vegetation pattern at a landscape level. Plenary Session paper given to the IAVS Symposium, Rice University, Houston, Texas, June 1995.

Zimmermann NE & Kienast F, 1993. Progress report of the project: Simulating spatial and temporal vegetation patterns in Switzerland. Plenary Session paper given to the "General Assembly and Workshop of the EU Project INTEGRALP-ICALPE", Jacca, Spanien, 16. June 1993.

Supervision

Supervision of Postdocs, PhD, MSc and scientists

I have been involved in the supervision of masters and PhD students since many years. I consider this activity one of my strengths. At the University of Bern, I have supervised and guided dozens of master and PhD students in conceptual design, fieldwork, and statistical analysis as assistant (until 1996). Below, I list only the PhD students that I have supervised as a principal or significant mentor over the last few years, and those students where I was referee. Several PhD or Postdoc students who have worked under my supervision have been appointed professorships during the last few years (Stefan Leyk, Geography Dept., University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA; Benjamin Poulter, Dept. of Ecology, University of Montana, Bozeman, MT, USA (now Univ. Maryland & NASA); Jed O. Kaplan, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland (now Univ. Hong Kong); Signe Normand, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus, Denmark; Peter B. Pearman, Univ. of Basque Countries, Spain; Damaris Zurell, Faculty of Maths & Natural Sciences, Univ. Potsdam. Zhen Zhang is currently negotiating a professorship with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. Each of the postdocs listed here has spent at least 2 years in my lab. I thus had a significant contribution to the development of their career. Among the six established professors having left my lab, four (66%) are male and 2 (33%) are female. Three have left the lab directly for being offered a professorship.

Postdocs and scientists

2021-2025	Dr. Wen-Na Ding from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden and CAS, China. Postdoc on CSC funds and ADeCon project funded by the ETH Domain Board for 4 years total.
2021-2024	Dr. Dirk N. Karger from WSL, Switzerland. Postdoc on SNF/Biodiversa funded FeedBaCks project for 3 years.
2021-2024	Dr. Florian Zellweger from Univ. Cambridge and WSL, with own SNF-Ambizione project on: Climate change impacts on biodiversity: From macro- to microclimate.
2020-2021	Dr. Kati Csillery from Univ. Zürich, with own SNF-Spark project as postdoc on: “Using fossil records and simulations to develop spatially explicit demographic null models to detect selection from genomic data in forest trees”. Now ERC Advanced grant holder at WSL.
2019-2022	Dr. Ian R. McFadden from Univ. California Los Angeles, USA. Joint postdoc with C. Graham and L. Pellissier at WSL, affiliated with the C. Graham lab, working on joint macroecological analyses with the three labs. Now postdoc with Prof. D. Kissling, Amsterdam
2019-2020	Prof. Dr. David W. Roberts, Montana State University, Bozeman, USA. 11-month sabbatical stay.
2019	Prof. Dr. Thiago Rangel, Federal Univ. of Goias, Brazil. 5-month sabbatical stay.
2017-2020	Dr. Patrice Descombes from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Postdoc on SDSC funded SpeedMind and COMECO projects for 4 years. Now curator of the Lausanne university botanical garden and herbarium.
2017-2021	Dr. Philipp Brun from Univ. of Copenhagen, Denmark. Postdoc on the Origin.Alps SNF project for 3 years. Now permanent position at WSL
2017-2019	Dr. Dirk N. Karger from Univ. of Zürich, Switzerland. Postdoc on developing new CHELSA layers and on macroecology for 2 years.
2015-2017	Dr. Rafael O. Wüest from University of Grenoble (France) and Univ. of Zurich (Switzerland). Postdoc on biodiversity and phylogenetic analyses, spatial modelling and evolutionary biology for 2 years. Now manager of WSL’s Biodiversity Center.
2015-2016	Prof. Dr. John Caspersen from University of Toronto (Canada). 11-month sabbatical stay.
2014-2018	Dr. Damaris Zurell from Potsdam University, Germany. Postdoc on macroecology community assembly modelling for 4 years. Now Humboldt Univ., Berlin, Germany. Now: professor at Potsdam Univ., Potsdam, Germany.
2014-2017	Dr. Zhen Zhang from Lanzhou University, China. Postdoc on global biogeochemical modelling of biogenic methane emissions for 3 years. Now Univ. Maryland, MD and negotiating professorship with CAS, Beijing.
2014-2016	Dr. Laure Gallien from CNRS and University of Grenoble, France. Postdoc on macroecology and invasion biology, for 2 years. Now permanent scientist with CNRS, Grenoble France.
2010-2013	Dr. Signe Normand from Aarhus University, Denmark. Postdoc on macroecology and modelling for 3 years. Now professor at the Department of Biosciences, Aarhus University, Denmark.
2009-2012	Dr. Achilleas Psomas from UniZH, Switzerland. Postdoc on hyperspectral RS and GIS modeling for 3 years. Now permanent position as scientist at WSL in the remote sensing lab.
2009-2011	Dr. Elke L. Hodson from MIT, Massachussets, USA. Postdoc on biogeochemical modeling for 2 years. Now permanent position at the Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington, USA.
2009-2011	Dr. Benjamin Poulter from PIK, Potsdam, Germany. Postdoc on biogeochemical modeling for 2 years. Became professor at the department of ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA. Now: Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
2008-2014	Dr. Peter B. Pearman as postdoc and scientific collaborator, 6 years. Now professor at Ikerbasque University, Spain
2007	Prof. Dr. Jogeir N. Stokland, University of Oslo. Visiting scientist for 1 month.
2007	Prof. Dr. Thomas C. Edwards, Utah State University, Logan, UT & US Geological Survey. 8-month sabbatical stay.
2007-2008	Dr. Jed O. Kaplan; Postdoc in biogeochemical modeling for 1.5 years. Became Prof. at Univ. Lausanne, Switzerland. Now pfofessor at the University of Hongkong, China.

Principal scientific responsibility

Ogundipe, Dami, 2021-2025. Assessing and designing blue-green conservation strategies for the 21st Century in Switzerland. PhD Thesis at ETH Zürich. Funding: ETH Domain Board.

Borsien, Franco, 2021-2022. Risk Prognosis for Ink Disease in Switzerland. MSc Thesis at ETH Zürich, with A. S.Propero & D. Schmatz, WSL.

Yuan, Zili, 2020-2024. Drivers of taxonomic and phylogenetic biodiversity turnover in the Hengduan Mountains, China. PhD Thesis at ETH Zürich, with Prof. Dr. L. Pellissier. Funding: ETH+.

Liu, Yi, 2020-2024. Global comparison of the drivers of mountain biodiversity. PhD Thesis at ETH Zürich, with Prof. Dr. L. Pellissier. Funding: CSC, WSL & ETH.

Flükiger, Lea, 2020. Analysing the effect of new soil maps on tree species distribution modelling. MSc Thesis at ETH Zürich, with A. Baltensweiler, WSL.

Füglister, Beat, 2020. Modelling the global carbon storage in forests. MSc Thesis at ETH Zürich, with A. Baltensweiler, WSL.

Chauvier, Yohann, 2017-2021. Effects of Climate and its Change on Phylogenetic, Functional and Species Diversity. PhD Thesis at ETH Zürich. Funding: SNSF.

Stamm, Manuel, 2018-2019. Assessing Climate Change Impacts on the Vegetation of the Canton of Zurich. MSc Thesis at ETH Zürich, Switzerland.

Saladin, Bianca, 2014-2020. Phylogenetic biodiversity turnover in geographical and environmental space. PhD Thesis at ETH Zürich, Switzerland. Funding: SNSF.

Saladin, Bianca, 2012-2013. Niche and trait evolution in Pinus. MSc Thesis at the Institute of Systematic Botany of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, with Prof. Dr. E Conti.

Lieske, Reimo, 2009-2010. Modelling the potential distribution of Kt. Zürich invasive plants. MSc Thesis at the University of Salzburg, Austria.

Meier, Eliane Seraina, 2008-2011. Modelling spatial dynamics of plant distribution – Implementation of biotic interactions and migration improves large-scale projections of species distributions during climate and land-use change. PhD Thesis at ETH Zürich, with Prof. Dr. F. Kienast. Funding: EU-FP6 Project ECOCHANGE.

Wüest, Rafael, 2007-2008. Evaluating the niche stability in the genus Carex. MSc Thesis at the University of Zurich together with Prof. H.P. Linder.

Steinmann, Katharina, 2004-2008. Testing basic assumptions of species richness hypotheses using plant species distribution data. PhD Thesis at the University of Zürich, with Prof. Dr. H.P. Linder. Funding: EU-FP6 Project IntraBioDiv.

Psomas, Achilleas, 2004-2008. Hyperspectral remote sensing for ecological analyses of grassland ecosystems – spectral separability and derivation of NPP related biophysical and biochemical parameters. PhD Thesis at the University of Zürich, with Prof. Dr. K. Itten. Funding: BAFU.

Mathys, Lukas, 2004-2007. Hyperspectral remote sensing for ecological analyses of grassland ecosystems - spectral separability and derivation of NPP-related biophysical and biochemical parameters. PhD Thesis at the University of Lausanne, with Prof. Dr.A. Guisan. Funding: WSL/BAFU.

Gellrich, Mario, 2002-2007. Modelling agricultural land abandonment and forest regeneration in the Swiss mountains. PhD Thesis at the University of Freiburg, Germany, with Prof. Dr. B. Koch. Funding: SNF-NFP48.

Gehrig-Fasel, Jacqueline, 2002-2007. Treeline and climate change: analyzing and modeling patterns and shifts in the Swiss Alps. PhD Thesis at the University of Lausanne, with Prof. Dr. A. Guisan. Funding: WSL/BAFU.

Rutherford, Gillian, 2002-2006. The use of land-use statistics to investigate large-scale successional processes. PhD Thesis at ETH Zürich, with Prof. Dr. P.J. Edwards. Funding: NFP48.

Rickebusch, Sophie, 2002-2006. Modelling tree population dynamics at the Alpine and Boreal tree-line ecotones in response to climate and land-use change. PhD Thesis at the University of Lausanne, with Prof. Dr.A. Guisan. Funding: EU-FP5 Project PINE.

Committee member with significant input

Flückiger, Georg, 2022. Assessment of the spread and management of three invasive species in the canton of Grisons, Switzerland. MSc Thesis at ETH Zürich. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. J. Alexander. Chang, Yaquan, 2020-2024. Macroevolution – Disentangling the drivers of plant speciation in the Hengduan Mts, China. PhD Thesis at ETH Zürich. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. L. Pellissier. Funding: ETH+. Lyu, Lisha 2018-2022. Analyzing the determinants of global tree distributions. PhD Thesis at ETH Zürich. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. L. Pellissier. Funding: CSC & ETH. Mo, Lidong, 2017-2021. Modelling the global carbon storage in forests. PhD Thesis at ETH Zürich. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Thomas Crowther. Ringelberg, Jens, 2015-2020. Climate-niche evolution and relationships in Mimosoideae. PhD Thesis at the University of Zürich. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. C. Hughes. Funding: SNF. Cabrera, Victoria, 2015-2020. Unravelling ecological and macroevolutionary drivers of the evolution of biodiversity in Lupinus. PhD Thesis at the University of Zürich. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. C. Hughes. Funding: SNF. Righetti, Damiano, 2015-2019. Working title: Global ptterns and drivers of marine phytoplankton diversity. PhD Thesis at ETH Zürich. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. N. Gruber. Funding: ETH. Taleshi, Hamid, 2015-2019. Climate Change Impacts on Tree Species Distribution in Central Hyrcanian Forests of Iran. PhD Thesis at University of Tarbiat Modares, Iran. Chala Gelete, Desalegn, 2011-2016. Working title: Climate change and niche evolution in the African High Mountain Flora – Implications for adaptation to climate change. PhD Thesis at the University of Oslo. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. C. Brochmann. Hurdu, Bogdan-Iuliu, 2009-2012. Areas of endemism in the Carpathians and in the Alps. PhD Thesis at the Institute of Biological Research (IBC), Cluj, Romania. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. V. Christea. Funding: IBC. Wüest, Raphael, 2009-2012. Niche evolution in Southern Hemisphere Graminoid species. PhD Thesis at the University of Zürich. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. H.P. Linder. Funding: SNF-Sinergia. Huber, Silvia, 2003-2008. Estimation of Ecologically Relevant Land Cover Variables from Imaging Spectroscopy. PhD Thesis at the University of Zürich. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. K. Itten. Funding: SNF. Leyk, Stefan, 2002-2005. Computing the past – utilizing historical data sources for map-based retrospective landscape research. PhD Thesis at the University of Zürich. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. R. Weibel. Funding: BAFU. Cunningham, Catherine, 2001-2006. Growth of Norway spruce saplings: Exploring the influence of spring conditions through observation, experiment, and model simulation. PhD Thesis at ETH Zürich. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. H. Bugmann. Funding: ETHZ.

Committee member or referee

Simensen, Trond. Mapping and analysis of landscape diversity. PhD Thesis at the University of Oslo, Norway. Supervisor: Prof. R. Hallvorsen. Gaul, Wilsson. Predicting species distributions in Ireland using biological records datasets with a range of spatial biases and sampling intensities. PhD Thesis at the University College Dublin, Ireland. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. J. Yearsley. Macek, Martin. Patterns and processes in the spatial distribution of plant species across scales. PhD Thesis at the Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science in Prague, Czech Republic. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. J. Wild. Smycka, Jan, 2018. Evolutionary history and diversification of flora of the Alps. PhD Thesis at the University of Grenoble-Alpes. Supervisors: Dr. S. Lavergne & PD Dr. W. Thuiller. Weigand, Anna, 2017. Large-scale fern diversity patterns. PhD Thesis at the Univ. Zürich, Switzerland. Supervisor: Dr. Michael Kessler. Clark, Charles Daniel 2017. Realised Niche Shifts, Rapid Evolution and Phenotypic Plasticity in Introduced Plants. PhD Thesis at the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. S. Hartley. Loran, Christin, 2017. Exploring long-term forest cover changes and their driving forces in Switzerland (1850-2000). PhD Thesis at ETH Zürich. Supervisor: PD Dr. M. Bürgi. Carlson, Bradley Z., 2016. Understanding spatial patterns of diversity and productivity in alpine plant communities: application of high-resolution imagery in the French Alps. PhD Thesis at the University of Grenoble, France. Supervisors: Dr. P. Choler & PD Dr. W. Thuiller. Vissault, Steve, 2016. Biogéographie et dynamique de la forêt tempérée nordique dans un contexte de changements climatiques. MSc Thesis at the Université du Québec à Rimouski, Canada. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. D. Gravel. Støa, Bente, 2014. Exploring the value of museum data for use in species distribution modeling: data limitations and how to tackle them. PhD Thesis at the University of Oslo, Norway. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. R. Halvorsen. Pfeiffer, Mirjam, 2013. Modeling Terrestrial Paleo-biogeochemistry – Linking Fire, Biochemistry, Humans and Climate. PhD Thesis at EPF Lausanne, Switzerland. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. J.O. Kaplan. Sutcliffe, Patricia Ruth, 2013. Biological and Environmental Surrogates for Ecology and Conservation. PhD Thesis at the University of Queensland, Australia. Supervisors: Prof. Dr. H. Possingham and Dr. C.R. Pitcher. Boulangeat, Isabelle, 2012. A spatially explicit and model-based vulnerability analysis of mountain ecosystems to global change – implications for conservation. PhD Thesis at the University of Grenoble, France. Supervisor: PD Dr. W. Thuiller. Piedallu, Christian, 2012. Spatialisation du bilan en eau des sols pour caractériser la distribution et la croissance des espèces forestières dans un contexte de changement climatique. PhD Thesis at the University of Nancy, France. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. J.-C. Gégout. Maggini, Ramona, 2011. Species distribution models for conservation-oriented studies in Switzerland: filling data and tool gaps. PhD Thesis at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. A. Guisan. Normand, Signe, 2010. Macroecological perspectives on the European plant species’ ranges: past – presence – future. PhD Thesis at the University of Aarhus, Denmark. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. J.-C. Svenning. Hanspach, Jan, 2010. Assessing the influence of global change on plant species distribution using statistical models. PhD Thesis at the University of Halle, Germany. Supervisor: Dr. I. Kühn. Cabral, Juliano Sarmento, 2010. Demographic processes determining the range dynamics of plant species, and their consequences for biodiversity maintenance in the face of environmental change. PhD Thesis at the University of Potsdam, Germany. Supervisor: Dr. F. Schurr. Albert, Cécile, 2009. Variabilité fonctionelle intraspécifique: quantifcation in situ et implications dans une vallée alpine. University of Grenoble, France. PhD Thesis at the University of Grenoble, France. Supervisor: PD Dr. W. Thuiller. Bakkestuen, Vegar, 2009. GIS as a tool for studying temporal and spatial patterns in Norwegian ecosystems across disciplines and scales. PhD Thesis at the University of Oslo, Norway. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. R. Hallvorsen. Broennimann, Olivier, 2008. Niche-based models in biogeography & conservation biology: how far can we go to assess the impacts of global change? University of Lausanne. PhD Thesis at the Supervisor: Prof. Dr. A.Guisan. Rohrer, Lukas, 2006. Mortalität von Einzelbäumen auf Lothar-Sturmflächen und in den umgebenden Bestandes-rändern: Beobachtete Raten und mögliche Einflussfaktoren auf sechs Flächen des schweizerischen Mittellands. MSc Thesis at ETH Zürich. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. H. Bugmann. Franc, Erika, 2006. Model-based stratified sampling of rare species. MSc Thesis at the University of Lausanne. Supervisor: Prof. Antoine Guisan. Dessimoz, Florian, 2006. Invasive potential of the Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) in the Western Swiss Alps and implications for management. MSc Thesis at the University of Lausanne. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. A. Guisan. Vuissoz, Grégoire, 2005. Introducing process-based disturbance variables in predictive models of plant distribution. MSc Thesis at the University of Lausanne. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. A. Guisan. Milleret, Roxanne, 2004. Modelling the impact of climate change on the distribution of plant species along a wide elevation gradient. MSc Thesis at the University of Lausanne. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. A. Guisan. DiStefani, Lorenzo, 2004. Modéliser la distribution spatiale de la richesse spécifique et des communautés végétales dans les Préalpes vaudoises. MSc Thesis at the University of Lausanne. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. A. Guisan. Engler, Robin, 2004. Coupling GLM and Cellular Automaton in a dynamic approach to simulate plant migration and distribution under climatic changes: the MIGRATOR model. MSc Thesis at the University of Lausanne. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. A. Guisan. Wyler, Nicolas, 2003. Analyse du paysage et richesse spécifique. PhD Thesis at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. Supervisors: Dr. J.-P. Theurillat & Prof. Dr. R. Spichiger. Patraw Van Niel, Kimberly, 2003. Geographical Issues in Predictive Vegetation Modelling: Error and Uncertainty in GIS Data, Methods and Models. PhD Thesis at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Supervisors: Prof. Dr. M.P. Austin.

Funding

h2>Project funding

Funding summary

Below, I list all major (>100'000.-) project funding that I have obtained as PI, Co-PI and/or responsible WP-leader. The total amount of funding to my lab/WSL was more than CHF 8 Mio from almost exclusively highly competitive research funding. The total amount of funded budget from the below listed projects where I was PI or Co-PI is more than CHF 85 Mio in research funding. In many of the large project proposals at EU level, I was an initiator and/or a core-member of the proposal writing team.

Grants obtained

2022–2025	Speed2Zero. ETH-Domain. Sustainable Pathways of Environmental and Energy Development towards Net Zero Switzerland. Total funded budget is ~CHF 20 Mio, Total funded part for WSL is ~1'000’000.-.; PI: R Knutti; Co-PI and WSL-Lead: NE Zimmermann.
2021–2024	ADECON. BGB/ETH-Domain. Assessing and designing blue-green conservation strategies for the 21st Century in Switzerland. Total funded budget is ~CHF 515’400.-; PI: NE Zimmermann, Co-PI: O Seehausen, Eawag.
2021 – 2024	FEEDBACKS. Biodiversa/SNF. Feedbacks between Biodiversity and Climate. Funded budget is CHF ~2'000'00.-; NE Zimmermann budget is 538’700.-; PI: NE Zimmermann of the project.
2020 – 2025	BECCY. ETH+. Biodiversity, Earth, Climate Coupling in Yunnan (Western China). Funded budget is CHF 2'843'900.-; NE Zimmermann budget is 330’000.-; PI: S Wilett, ETHZ; Co-PI: NE Zimmermann et al.
2020 – 2022	COMECO. SDSC/ETH Domain. Combining machine learning, ecological modelling and plant morphological characteristics to develop a tool for identifying plants of Switzerland. Funded budget is CHF 412’740.-; WSL budget is 224’000.-; PI: NE Zimmermann.
2020–2022	GLOBALBETA. BGB/ETH-Domain Board. Assessing richness differences between blue and green systems by quantifying biodiversity turnover along global gradients. Total funded budget is CHF 112’780.-; PI: NE Zimmermann.
2020–2022	BIODIVASSEMBLY. BGB/ETH-Domain Board. Biodiversity assembly in blue and green ecosystems: speciation versus immigration. Total funded budget is CHF 112’780.-; PI: O Seehausen; Co-PI: NE Zimmermann.
2017 – 2019	SPEEDMIND. SDSC/ETH Domain. Improving species biodiversity analyses and citizen science feedback through mining data. Funded budget is CHF 446’400.-; WSL budget is 224’000.-; PI: NE Zimmermann.
2017 – 2020	ORIGIN-ALP. SNF/ANR Funded Swiss-French Research Project. Origin, assembly and conservation of plant diversity in the European Alps. Funded budget is CHF 868’000.-; ANR-funded part with S Lavergne/W Thuiller is 365’000.-, SNF-funded part for WSL is CHF 503’000.-; PI: NE Zimmermann.
2017 – 2019	exCHELSA. WSL. Extending and hosting CHELSA - a promising new global climate dataset - at WSL. Total budget is CHF 175’000.-; PI: NE Zimmermann.
2015 – 2019	STACCATO. Biodiversa/SNF. Sustaining agricultural change through ecological engineering and optimal use of natural resources. Funded Budget is 3.6 Mio €, WSL share is CHF 240’000.-; PI: J Settele, Co-PI & WP-leader: NE Zimmermann.
2014 – 2016	TEMPEX. BAFU-WSL Project. Modelling and mapping temperature extremes. Funded budget is CHF 28’000.-. PI: NE Zimmermann.
2014 – 2016	MATES. EU-FP7 Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship (MC-IEF). Understanding and predicting multispecies assemblages and interactions in space and time. Funded budget: € 208’000.-; PI: D Zurell; Host: NE Zimmermann
2014 – 2016	ECCO.DIV. SNF Funded Research Project. Effects of climate and its change on phylogenetic, functional and species diversity. Funded budget: CHF 280’000.-; PI: NE Zimmermann.
2012 – 2015	MAIOLICA II. ETH-CCES Project. Modelling and experiments on land-surface interactions with atmospheric chemistry and climate II. Total budget: CHF 3.03 Mio, CCES requested part is 0.98 Mio, WSL share is CHF 294’000.-; PI: T. Peter, ETHZ, Co-PI & WP-Leader: NE Zimmermann.
2010 – 2012	PORTREE. BAFU-WSL Project. Environmental portfolio of Central European tree species. Total budget: CHF 180’000.-. WSL share is CHF 294’000.-; PI: NE Zimmermann.
2010 – 2012	PHYLOALP. Mixed-funding. A phylogeny of plants of the European Alps. Together with UJF/CNRS Grenoble (W. Thuiller, S. Lavergne). Funding for WSL part so far: 350’000.- (BAFU, Kt. AG, WSL). PI/Co-PI: NE Zimmermann.
2009 – 2012	SPEED. SNF – Sinergia. Spatially Explicit Evolution of Diversity. Total budget: CHF 960’000.-, WSL share is CHF 250’000.-; PI/Co-PI: NE Zimmermann (with P Pearman, N Salamin, HP Linder).
2009 – 2012	MOTIVE. EU-FP7 Collaborative Project. Models for adaptive forest management. Total budget: CHF 10’412’500.- (€ 7.0 Mio), WSL share is CHF 670’000.-; PI: M Hahnewinkel, Freiburg, Co-PI & WP-Leader: NE Zimmermann et al.
2009 – 2011	MANFRED. EU-FP7 Interreg IIIb. Management strategies to adapt Alpine Space forests to climate change risks. Total budget: CHF 4’462’500.- (3’775k€), WSL share is € 400’000.-; PI: M Hahnewinkel, Freiburg, Co-PI & WP-Leader: NE Zimmermann.
2009 – 2011	WESTERN CONIFERS. USDA Forest Service. Assessment of species range and demography changes under projected climate change. CHF 90’000.-; PI: G Moisen, USDA-FS, Ogden, Co-PI: NE Zimmermann.
2009 – 2011	MTVEGMOD. EU-FP7 Marie Curie Incoming International Fellowship (MC-IIF). Advancing dynamic vegetation modeling for mountain systems vulnerable to climate and land-use change. Total budget: CHF 225’000.- (180k€); PI: B Poulter, Host: NE Zimmermann.
2008 – 2012	HYPERSWISSNET. SUK/ETH Project. A project to enhance research and training in hyperspectral remote sensing using the APEX sensor. Total budget: CHF 3.064 Mio. NE Zimmermann is WP leader. WSL share is CHF 166’000.-; PI: K Itten, Co-PI: NE Zimmermann.
2008 – 2011	MAIOLICA. ETH-CCES Project. Modelling and experiments on land-surface interactions with atmospheric chemistry and climate. Total budget: CHF 2.08 Mio, WSL share is CHF 273’000.-; PI: N Buchmann, ETHZ, Co-PI and WP-Leader: NE Zimmermann.
2007 – 2011	ECOCHANGE. EU-FP6 Integrated Project. Challenges in assessing and forecasting biodiversity and ecosystem changes in Europe. Total budget: € 7.0 Mio, WSL share is CHF 815’000.-; PI: P Taberlet, Co-PI and WP-Leader: NE Zimmermann.
2005 – 2009	MILLENNIUM. EU-FP6 Integrated Project. European climate of the last Millennium. Total budget: CHF 16’352’100.- (10’165k€), WSL share for NE Zimmermann is CHF 165’000.-; PI: D McCaroll, Swansea, WP-Leader: NE Zimmermann.
2004 – 2007	INTRABIODIV. EU-FP6 Research Project (STREP). Tracking surrogates for intraspecific biodiversity: towards efficient selection strategies for the conservation of natural genetic resources using comparative mapping and modelling approaches. Total budget: CH 4’446’000.- (2’850k€), WSL share for NE Zimmermann is CHF 180’000.-. PI: P Taberlet, WP-Leader: NE Zimmermann.
2004 – 2007	HIVAR-TWW. BUWAL Project (within TWW). Using the historical range of variability of landscape elements to identify and monitor dry meadows and pastures in Switzerland – an RS and GIS-based approach. Total budget: CHF 210’000.-; PI: NE Zimmermann.
2003 – 2007	MFM-U/WSL. BUWAL Project (within MfM-U). Monitoring flankierende Massnahmen Umwelt. NE Zimmermann is project leader. Total budget: CHF 2’400’000.-; PI: F Kienast, Project Coordinator: NE Zimmermann.
2002 – 2006	TREELINE. WSL/BUWAL Project (within NFI). Scenario modeling of Alpine tree lines in Switzerland: sensitivity to climate, land use, and natural hazards. Total budget: 200’000.-; PI: NE Zimmermann.
2002 – 2006	PINE. EU FP5 Research Project (Shared Cost RTD). Predicting Impacts in Natural Ecotones. Total budget: CHF 5’019’500.- (3’306k€), WSL share is CHF 412’083.- (283k€); PI: D McCarroll, Swansea, Co-PI & WP-Leader: NE Zimmermann.