The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina has elected Professor Simone Sommer as a member. The head of the Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics is a world-renowned scientist in the field of "Eco Health". The biologist from Ulm University researches the relationship between biodiversity, ecology and health.
How do human interventions in ecosystems affect the health of wildlife and, not least, humans? Professor Simone Sommer from Ulm University is investigating this fundamental question. The biologist was recently elected a member of the Academy by the Leopoldina. In her scientific work, biodiversity plays a special role as a resilience factor for susceptibility to infectious diseases and the spread of zoonoses. In her research, Simone Sommer investigates the effects of environmental factors on ecological, immunogenetic, microbiotic and pathogenic processes. In numerous international collaborations, she and her team have been able to show how man-made environmental influences affect the health of wild animals, sometimes with serious consequences for humans. Her studies on bats, meerkats and seabirds have also attracted a great deal of public attention. From a scientific point of view, they support the "One Health" concept, which states that the health of humans, animals and the environment is closely linked.
The "Eco Health" expert found out in spring that she had been accepted into the highly prestigious Academy of Science. "I am delighted to receive this honour. It is a sign that our scientific work and the underlying research concept are appreciated. In my team, we use an interdisciplinary, integrative approach to investigate the effects of anthropogenic influences such as land use change and environmental pollution on wildlife health and zoonotic diseases," explains the Ulm researcher.
Simone Sommer studied biology in Heidelberg and Tübingen. She obtained her doctorate in Tübingen, habilitated in Hamburg in zoology, nature conservation and evolutionary ecology. She is a member of numerous advisory committees and scientific advisory boards, for example the Scientific Advisory Board "One Health" of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the National One Health Platform. She has been a review board and committee member of the German Research Foundation for many years, as well as a member of the Interdisciplinary Commission for Pandemic Research. Since 2014, she is head of the Institute for Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics at the University of Ulm.
Leopoldina is the oldest scientific academy in the world that has existed without interruption. 2008 it was named Germany's National Academy of Sciences. The members of the Academy of Sciences have the task of providing science-based advice to policymakers and the public. The members are selected exclusively according to strict standards of scientific excellence.
Further information:
Prof. Dr Simone Sommer, Head of the Institute for Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, e-mail: simone.sommer(at)uni-ulm.de
Text and media contact: Andrea Weber-Tuckermann
About the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina:
As the German National Academy of Sciences, the Leopoldina provides independent science-based policy advice on socially relevant issues. To this end, the Academy prepares interdisciplinary statements based on scientific findings. These publications present options for action; it is the task of democratically legitimised politics to decide. The experts who write the statements work on an honorary basis and with an open mind. The Leopoldina represents German science in international bodies, including in the science-based consultation of the annual G7 and G20 summits. It has around 1,700 members from more than 30 countries and brings together expertise from almost all areas of research. It was founded in 1652 and was named Germany's National Academy of Sciences in 2008. As an independent science academy, the Leopoldina is committed to the common good.