Welcome

I am a researcher working in the biology education group of Kerstin Kremer at Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany. My work aims to strengthen ecology education by understanding how learners build scientific explanations and use them to make sense of the living world. I investigate ecological literacy and, as a particular focus, chemical reasoning in biology — because chemical and biochemical mechanisms are foundational to modern life science and to ecological processes across scales. I study how learners work with authentic datasets and how AI-supported learning environments can shape interpretation, judgement, and reasoning. Plant awareness and perception is one lens I use to examine what becomes salient to learners in biology. My background in plant ecology provides a scientific grounding for this work and helps me anchor learning research in authentic ecological phenomena. Alongside this, I remain active in plant ecology research on plant–environment interactions, especially the physiological effects of cold and drought.

Research interests

• Ecological Literacy and Chemical Reasoning in Ecology
• AI-Supported Learning Environments
• Data Literacy in Biology Education
• Plant Awareness and Visual Perception
• Plant–Environment Interactions: Cold and Drought Physiology

Textbook

Together with my colleague and friend Christian Schmidt, I co-authored a textbook Chemistry for Biologists, first published in November 2014 and now available in its second edition. The book introduces chemistry from the ground up, helping biology students in their early semesters build a solid and intuitive understanding of chemical principles and processes relevant to life sciences. Our goal was to create an accessible, step-by-step guide that makes chemistry clear and engaging for everyone entering the field of biology.

Schmidt C, Dietrich L (2022). Chemie im Biologiestudium: Von Grund auf verständlich erklärt. Second Edition. Springer Spektrum.

Link: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-662-63416-5

Contact

Email
Institution: Justus Liebig University Gießen (Germany)