Research Areas and Teaching

Research Areas

Conservation genomics; molecular ecology; freshwater ecosystems under anthropogenic influence; host-pathogen interactions; invasive species management;

• Controlled infection experiments of freshwater crayfish with the crayfish plague pathogen
• Multi-omics investigation of host resistance and pathogen virulence in the crayfish – crayfish plague model system
• Genomic biodiversity monitoring and food web recosntructions of restored wetlands by use of eDNA

Teaching activities

Justus-Liebig University:

• 2021 – 2023: MP227  Genomic tools in the evaluation of biodiversity loss

Rhineland-Palatinate University Kaiserslautern-Landau:

• 2011 – 2020: diverse courses in the degree programme B.Sc. and M.Sc. Environmental Science and Ecotoxicology (UWI2a+b, UWI3a+b, AÖK5, ETX7);
• 2012 – 2009: coordinator of the degree programme B.Sc. Environmental Science
• Since 2022: as Privatdozentin at the RPTU, I am teaching the module „Übung Genetik“ in the course program M.ed. Biologie in Landau.

Involved projects:

• Since 2024: MSE-Key – Key factors shaping the interactions of freshwater crayfish and their invasive disease (DFG – Heisenberg Prpgramme)
• Since 2022: EMYS-R - A socio-ecological evaluation of wetlands restoration and reintroduction programs in favour of the emblematic European pond turtle and associated biodiversity: a pan-European approach (Biodiversa / BMBF; project manager) http://www.emysr.cnrs.fr
• Since 2022: GEODE – Genome evolution of decapoda (DFG/ANR) https://freshwaterconservationgenomics.wordpress.com/geode/
• 2022-2023: CRISIS – Crayfish Immune System (DAAD) https://freshwaterconservationgenomics.wordpress.com/revealing-effects-of-the-crayfish-plague-disease-on-the-immune-system-of-freshwater-crayfish/
• Since 2020: The LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (TBG)

https://tbg.senckenberg.de/kathrin theissinger

• Since 2020: CrayID: Freshwater crayfish and their invasive diesease in Europe https://wordpress.com/page/freshwaterconservationgenomics.wordpress.com/37
• Since 2017: Reintroduction of the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) in restored wetlands of the Upper Rhine, in collaboration with NABU-RLP, SeaLife Speyer and CNRS/IPHC Strasbourg https://freshwaterconservationgenomics.wordpress.com/reintroduction-of-the-european-pond-turtle-emys-orbicularis-in-restored-wetlands-of-the-upper-rhine/

Guest editor:

• Since 2023 Editor of the journal Frontiers in Freshwater Science.
• 2021 – 2022 Guest editor for the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, special issue on “Conservation of European Freshwater Crayfish” https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/13694/conservation-of-european-freshwater-crayfish