18.11.2024
On October 3, the WSL Biodiversity Center held its first Biodiversity Research Day in Birmensdorf. Thirty-one talks—from PhD students to group leaders—provided a snapshot of the exciting research done at WSL. We had a full house, and participants had the opportunity to engage with research beyond their fields.
At WSL, nine research units and over 30 groups conduct fundamental and applied biodiversity research in natural and social sciences. Our expertise is extensive, without a doubt. However, with such a broad scope, it’s easy for us to miss out on research happening just down the hall. To address this need for more exchange and networking, we organized the Biodiversity Research Day, an event designed to showcase a selection of the innovative research conducted at WSL and foster connections within our diverse community.
The event featured 31 talks from eight research units and 17 research groups, each highlighting unique perspectives on biodiversity. Topics ranged widely, covering novel monitoring techniques, ecosystem functions, biodiversity mapping, trophic and network ecology, forest conservation, and responses to environmental change. With speakers at every career stage—from PhD students to group leaders—the program captured the vibrant, multi-faceted biodiversity research done at WSL.
We had over 85 attendees, marking our highest participation to date. Despite the packed schedule, participants were engaged, and their questions led to discussions that continued into the coffee break and apéro.
The Biodiversity Research Day has been a milestone in our mission to promote networking within WSL. We hope this event will foster new collaborations among WSL researchers.
We thank our speakers for their excellent presentations and for staying on time (which was not easy with our packed schedule!). We also thank Susanne Senn, Haoyun Liu, Christian Bänziger, Herbert Kurmann, Antoinette Zberg, and their teams for supporting the organization.