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Dr. Heidi Hirsch is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Invasion Biology in the Department of Botany and Zoology at Stellenbosch University. She holds a PhD from Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany, awarded in 2013 for her thesis titled ‘Investigations on the invasion success of Ulmus pumila - A multi-continental survey’, and a Diploma (equivalent to an MSc) from the same institution in 2008 for her thesis on the European origin of the invasive Rosa rubiginosa in Argentina using microsatellite markers. Her research expertise encompasses invasion biology, population biology and genetics, biogeography, botany, ecology, and conservation biology, with a particular focus on the molecular ecology of invasive tree species such as Australian acacias and eucalypts, and the impacts of human activities on threatened plant species.
Since 2014, Dr. Hirsch has held her postdoctoral position at Stellenbosch University, leading projects including ‘Molecular ecology of invasive acacias: Implication for effective management’ and ‘Towards a revision of the invasive status of Eucalyptus species in South Africa’. She previously worked as a research assistant at Leuphana University in Germany from 2013 to 2014. In 2019, she received the Postdoctoral Fellow Award for Exceptional Achievement from Stellenbosch University, and in 2014 she was awarded the ‘Luther Urkunde’ certificate for outstanding doctoral achievements. She has organized workshops on evolutionary dynamics of tree invasions and Eucalyptus in South Africa, delivered guest lectures on global change biology and invasion biology, and served as a reviewer for numerous journals including Biological Invasions, Journal of Ecology, and Molecular Ecology. She has also contributed to thesis co-supervision and co-organized international conferences.
Explore how Stellenbosch University and UCT researchers revealed 79 extinct plants in Cape Floristic Region, Succulent Karoo, and Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany hotspots, driving higher ed conservation initiatives.
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