Attending the 15th Water Research Horizon Conference

Hui Liu, Frida Pallapies, and Nicole Ellen Wells attended the 15th Water Research Horizon Conference (WRHC 2025) in Bochum on September 29–30, 2025, bringing together interdisciplinary experts to discuss environmental, social, and infrastructural challenges in urban water systems. The conference provided a platform for exploring sustainable urban water management, climate resilience, circular economy solutions, and innovative monitoring methods.

Hui Liu, working on urban water resources management, gained insights from keynote talks such as Professor Qiuhong Tang’s “Managing Urban Flood Risk and Building Resilience in a Changing Climate” and Professor Florian Leese’s “Tracing Biodiversity Trajectories with Environmental DNA Methods”. Hui presented a poster on health risks from trace elements in urban drinking-water sources across Chinese cities, receiving valuable feedback that strengthened both presentation and research perspective. Hands-on models, including the Riverlandscape Flood Model and Virtual Sandbox Model, enhanced understanding of urban flood impacts, while workshops on science communication led by Martha Wingen (“HochwasserTok”) improved skills in conveying complex research to broader audiences.

Frida Pallapies, focusing on urban water systems and sustainability, explored topics such as sponge cities, the potential of urban water bodies for energy production, and monitoring programs. She participated actively in discussions on climate-resilient, sustainable, and health-promoting urban transformations. Frida also benefited from science communication workshops, learning to break down complex topics and develop concise pitches for public engagement.

Nicole Ellen Wells, investigating ecosystem health, presented a poster on cost-efficient bioassays for assessing aquatic ecosystems and explored innovative tools like the Riverlandscape Flood Model and Virtual Sandbox Model. Nicole emphasized the interdisciplinary exchange with fellow PhD students and experts, gaining insights into urban flood modeling, biodiversity monitoring, and strategies for connecting research with societal needs.

Overall, attending WRHC 2025 enriched Hui, Frida, and Nicole’s scientific knowledge, fostered interdisciplinary collaboration, and strengthened skills in presenting and communicating research—providing a strong foundation for advancing their respective PhD projects in sustainable urban water management, biodiversity, and ecosystem health.

Attending the 4^th Mega-Delta-Meeting and gathering first-hand observations at the Indus-Delta

Presenting his paper “How the colonial-era water management paradigm continues to shape the Indus Delta crisis” Abdul Waheed, a Phd Candidate at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), attended the 4th Mega-Delta Meeting: International Conference on Dialogue between Land and Sea in Shanghai. In this year, this conference focused on major Asian rivers an allowed Abul to engage with global scholars, policymakers and practitioners working on (Asian) delta systems.

Having examined historical water management practices in the Indus Basin, their ongoing socio-economic and ecological impacts, and recommendations for sustainable delta management., he was invited to contribute a case study on the Indus Delta for the UNCCRD White Paper. At the conference Abdul initiated discussions for potential collaborative publications in Anthropocene Coasts and strengthened his academic and professional connections with global scholars working on delta resilience and policy advocacy.

Following the conference, Abdul visited a project site in the Indus Delta, where he monitored ecological changes following an upstream flooding. Furthermore, Abdul integrated recent observations with data from earlier fieldwork. This allowed him to identify emerging challenges and opportunities for delta rehabilitation and sustainable management. He could share his research findings in the Indus Delta at the International Conference on Water in Karachi and expand his professional network among Pakistani scholars, water experts, and policy leaders. Following the conference Abdul held meetings with government officials, environmental experts, and community representatives to identify partnerships for resilience-building and local community support as well as seeking contribute inputs to the UNCCRD White Paper mentioned above. Surely, the deepened engagement with international and national efforts to promote sustainable delta conservation and his strengthened research capacity will help Abdul to make meaningful contributions to global efforts in water management and environmental policy.

Connecting biology and hydrology at EGU25 General Assembly

Presenting her poster “Harnessing the Power of eDNA Biodiversity Assessment to Enhance Subsurface Water Flow Pathway Reconstruction” during the session “The invisible controls of catchment hydrology: storage, flows and interactions in the subsurface.”, Yvonne Schadewell could showcase her work as a biologist within a hydrological research project. This combination sparked curiosity and lively discussions. For her, EGU25 General Assembly was a great opportunity to receive valuable feedback, expand her network and get new ideas that will help her shape the next steps of her research. 

Additionally, Yvonne was a co-convenor for the session “Bridging Hydrology, Biogeochemistry, and Ecology in River Networks and Watersheds: Innovations in Ecohydrological Processes and Biological Tracers for Water and Sediment Movement.” In this session, through 10 oral presentations and 13 poster presentations, it was very inspiring for her to see how many researchers are too working at this intersection of disciplines. 

Having a background in environmental DNA (eDNA) research, it was a highlight for Yvonne to organize and host a splinter meeting titled “Tracing with Biology: Connect with others who are using eDNA, Carbon, Diatoms, etc. to get to the bottom of water and sediment movement.”. Being a meeting of informal format, it allowed for open and meaningful exchange at the forefront of this exciting interdisciplinary field. Following this meeting, a collaboration on grant applications arose.

Beyond participating in the numerous sessions, the conference gave her the chance to attend a variety of fascinating talks and presentations across different disciplines, bring fresh inspiration into Yvonne’s own work, but also helped strengthen existing collaborations as well as forming new connections.

Freshwater amphipods are increasingly recognised for their cryptic diversity, posing challenges for species identification and biodiversity assessments. To investigate these hidden patterns, Andreas Limberger carried out a research stay at the University of Duisburg-Essen, supported by the Water Science Alliance Career Navigator, focusing on the enigmatic amphipod Synurella ambulans.

Despite its wide distribution across Europe, S. ambulans shows a remarkably disjunct occurrence, being well established in Eastern and Southeastern Europe while only recently detected in isolated Central European sites. Its small body size and subtle diagnostic traits may have contributed to its underrepresentation in routine biomonitoring. During his stay, Andreas conducted a Europe-wide phylogeographic analysis using molecular markers under the supervision of Dr Kamil Hupało, in collaboration with researchers from the Goethe University Frankfurt. By analysing samples from both long-established and newly discovered populations, his work aims to clarify whether Central European occurrences represent relics of post-glacial expansion or recent anthropogenic introductions, and whether S. ambulans constitutes a cryptic species complex.

In addition to the scientific analysis, Andreas gained hands-on experience in molecular DNA methods and species distribution modelling of amphipods. He also presented his preliminary results as a poster at the annual conference of the German Society of Limnology (DGL), where his findings sparked strong interest and lively discussions among national and international experts. These exchanges have already led to follow-up analyses using nuclear markers and the planning of a joint scientific publication.

We are pleased to see how this research stay strengthened Andreas’s methodological skills, expanded his scientific network, and marked an important milestone in his academic development.

Advancing open data and integrative tools for freshwater biodiversity research at the Living Data Conference 2025, Bogotá (Colombia)

Open data, interoperability, and collaborative digital infrastructures are increasingly essential for addressing global biodiversity challenges. With support from the Water Science Alliance Career Navigator, Dr. Afroditi Grigoropoulou attended the Living Data Conference 2025 in Bogotá, Colombia, an international forum bringing together researchers, data scientists, and policy experts working at the interface of biodiversity informatics and conservation.

During the conference, Dr. Grigoropoulou presented an oral contribution on open science approaches for assessing global aquatic insect biodiversity. The talk showcased key results from doctoral research and highlighted how openly accessible, integrative datasets can be used to advance macroecological analyses of freshwater insects. The presentation stimulated exchange with an international audience, including researchers focusing on river connectivity and large-scale data integration.

In addition, Dr. Afroditi Grigoropoulou co-organized and delivered a three-hour hands-on workshop on integrating freshwater biodiversity data with high-resolution hydrographic datasets. The workshop introduced participants to global datasets and tools developed at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), including workflows using the GeoFRESH platform and the hydrographr R package. Through practical exercises, participants learned to process hydrographic and environmental data at the sub-catchment scale and apply them in species distribution modelling and connectivity analyses. A case study from the Magdalena River basin illustrated a connectivity workflow designed by the participant, demonstrating network-based distance and centrality metrics.

The workshop attracted strong interest and generated valuable feedback, supporting further refinement of the tools and training formats. Overall, participation in the Living Data Conference strengthened the international visibility of open, scalable approaches for freshwater biodiversity research, expanded the participant’s professional network, and supported career development at an early research stage.

International Symposium on River Science 2025 + Field Visit, California (USA)

River restoration is a central strategy for improving freshwater biodiversity worldwide, yet its effectiveness depends strongly on ecological and landscape context. To exchange knowledge on these challenges and to present his research, Dr. Twan Stoffers attended the International Symposium on River Science (ISRS) at the University of California, Davis, supported by the Water Science Alliance Career Navigator.

At the symposium, Dr. Stoffers presented results from a large European-wide assessment of river restoration efficacy for fish, based on data from more than 560 restoration sites across 12 countries. His contribution sparked lively discussions on how local and regional drivers shape restoration outcomes and how European experiences can inform river management and restoration strategies in North America. The meeting brought together an international community of scientists and practitioners working at the interface of river ecology, restoration, and management, offering valuable opportunities for scientific exchange and networking.

Beyond the conference, Dr. Stoffers joined a field visit to rivers near Ukiah in northern California, including salmon spawning habitats. Experiencing these systems firsthand provided an important practical perspective and enriched discussions with international colleagues in an informal setting.

We are pleased to see how participation in ISRS and the accompanying field visit strengthened the international dimension of Dr. Stoffers’ research, fostered new collaborations, and supported his career development at the interface of science, restoration practice, and policy.

Field visit to the Forest Laboratory Zurich (Switzerland)

Forest ecosystems play a key role in regulating hydrological and biogeochemical cycles. In the context of her bachelor’s thesis on hydrological nitrogen transport in a forest ecosystem, Felina Schwalm investigates how nitrogen concentrations change along the water pathway from precipitation and throughfall, via soil water, to catchment runoff. Supported by the Water Science Alliance Career Navigator, she visited the Forest Laboratory Zurich to gain first-hand insight into the origin of the dataset used in her thesis.

The Forest Laboratory, a 1.5 km² research forest between Zurich-Höngg and Affoltern, hosts a wide range of long-term measurements addressing ecological, hydrological, and climatic processes. During her visit, Felina explored the extensive monitoring infrastructure, including tree-based sensors, soil moisture samplers, eddy-flux stations, and experimental plots investigating forest composition under climate change. Seeing the measurement setup in situ allowed her to directly link theoretical data analysis with practical field methods and to clarify methodological questions, such as the calibration of throughfall measurements and the depth resolution of soil water sampling.

Discussions with researchers on site, in particular with Dr. Marius Floriancic, provided valuable scientific input and new perspectives for her bachelor’s thesis. Through these exchanges, it became clear that her dataset allows not only for comparisons of nitrogen concentrations at individual measurement points, but also for analysing changes along a vertical forest profile from the tree canopy to groundwater.

Beyond the scientific insights, Felina also experienced the strong integration of interdisciplinary research and science communication at the Forest Laboratory. Observing a public outreach event for children and families highlighted how complex research findings can be effectively communicated to a broader audience.

We are pleased to see how this field visit strengthened the scientific basis of Felina’s bachelor’s thesis, provided new inspiration for her academic development, and offered valuable insights into the interplay between research and public engagement.