Prof. Dr. Tina Heger
Academic Career and Research Areas
The current research of Prof. Heger focusses on knowledge synthesis in ecology. She is working together with computer scientists and philosophers to develop ways for integrating ecological knowledge from diverse sources into a FAIR and openly accessible knowledge base that can be queried by ecologists as well as restoration practitioners. Further, she is interested in how to deal with the constantly rising levels of ecological novelty in nature conservation and restoration, and what could be meaningful future human-nature relationships.
Prof. Heger studied biology in Frankfurt and Hamburg and completed her doctorate at TUM. In 2011/12 she was at the University of California, Davis, USA, then at the University of Potsdam. She completed her habilitation at TUM in 2020. Since 2021, she has led research projects at the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) in Berlin, and in 2024/25 at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) in Bielefeld. Since 2025, she is Adjunct Professor at TUM and Honorary Professor at Leuphana University Lüneburg.
Awards
- Focus Group Convener, Center for Interdisziplinary Reserach (ZiF) Bielefeld (2024)
- Dr. Heinrich Baur-Award 2020 (in acknowledgment of habilitation thesis, World Agricultural Systems Center, TUM) (2021)
- Laura Bassi-Award of TUM (2015)
- Research Fellowship, DFG (2011)
- Scholarship, Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (1998)
Key Publications (all publications)
Heger, T., Elliot-Graves, A., Kaiser, M. I., Morrow, K. H., Bausman, W., Dietl, G. P., Dormann, C. F., Gibson, D. J., Griesemer, J., Itescu, Y., Jax, K., Latimer, A. M., Liu, C., Starrfelt, J., Stephens, P. A., & Jeschke, J. M. (2025). Looking beyond Popper: how philosophy can be relevant to ecology. Oikos, e10994. Editors Choice.
AbstractHeger, T., Jeschke, J.M. & Kollmann, J. (2021a). Some reflections on current invasion biology, and perspectives for an exciting future. NeoBiota, 68: 79-100.
AbstractHeger, T., Aguilar, C., Bartram, I., Braga, R. R., Dietl, G. P., Enders, M., Gibson, D. J., Gómez-Aparicio, L., Gras, P., Jax, K., Lokatis, S., Lortie, C. J., Mupepele, A.-C., Schindler, S., Starrfelt, J., Synodinos, A. & Jeschke, J. M. (2021b). The hierarchy-of-hypotheses approach: a synthesis method for enhancing theory development in ecology and evolution. BioScience, 71: 337-349.
AbstractHeger, T., Bernard-Verdier, M., Gessler, A., Greenwood, A., Grossart, H.-P., Hilker, M., Keinath, S., Kowarik, I., Kueffer, C., Marquard, E., Müller, J., Niemeier, S., Onan-dia, G. Petermann, J., Rillig, M., Rödel, M.-O., Saul, W.-C., Schittko, C., Tockner, K., Joshi, J. & Jeschke, J. M. (2019) Towards an integrative, eco-evolutionary under-standing of ecological novelty: Studying and communicating interlinked effects of global change. BioScience 69: 888-899.
AbstractJeschke, J. M. & Heger, T. (eds)(2018): Invasion Biology – Hypotheses and Evidence. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK, 177 pp. Accompanying web page:
WebsiteIf you wish your profile to be changed or updated please contact Franz Langer.