The Synthesis Centre for Biodiversity Sciences (sDiv) supports workshops, postdocs, and sabbaticals to foster cross-disciplinary synthesis research on biodiversity. In 2013, sDiv hosted 13 workshops attended by around 450 scientists and funded 11 associated postdocs. For 2014, sDiv has planned 8 additional workshops and 3 more postdocs. The goal is to bring scientists together in a creative environment to advance theory on linking biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Strengths include being embedded in an active research network, but challenges involve maintaining a research focus with limited staffing. Overall, sDiv aims to differentiate itself from other synthesis centers by emphasizing theory development that can make a meaningful difference to the field.

1. The Synthesis Centre for
Biodiversity Sciences - sDiv
Marten Winter,
Scientific Coordinator of sDiv
Carolin Kablau, sDiv Secretary

2. Our
platforms

3. GCEF
Our platforms

4. William Fagan
Paul Leadley
Bernhard Schmid
Jacques RoyStephen Pacala
Ray Callaway
Michel Loreau
David Schimel
iDiv - Scientific advisory board
Biodiv
Center

5. sDiv - Synthesis Centre for BioDiversity Sciences
• 3 x 4 years
• sDiv funding is ca. 170.000-220.000€ a year
(plus permanent staff – 2 persons + support by
centre`s Press & It & bioinformatics units)

6. Creative atmosphere

7. sDiv support team (+ iDiv Admin)
Franziska Hübner
Carolin Kablau (Secretary)
Marten Winter
(Scientific
Coordinator)
Dagmar Bankamp
Agnes Reuter

8. Volker Grimm
(UFZ); leader
Florian Jeltsch
(Univ. Potsdam)
Robert Paxton
(Univ. Halle)
Klaus Jürgens
(Leibniz Inst. for
Baltic Sea
Research)
Helmut Hillebrand
(Univ. Oldenburg)
Katrin
Boehning-Gaese
(BIK-F,
Univ. Frankfurt)
sDivCommittee
Carolin
Kablau
sDiv secretary

9. 1st sDiv open call for
Workshops, PostDocs & Sabbaticals
• Published January 2013
• Deadline was 1.4. 2013

10. • 13 Workshops in 2013
• 11 associated PostDocs will start until
mid of 2014 (5 already did)
• 8 Workshops in 2014 with 3 associated
PostDocs (excl. upcoming new sDiv calls)
Examples of Topics:
– Synthesizing population, community, genetic and evolutionary
dynamics
– Stoichiometric constraints of biodiversity – functioning relationships
– Using Tree Diversity as an Insurance for the Stable Functioning of
Forest Ecosystems
– Biodiversity across spatial scales - linking macroecological models to
local-scale biodiversity patterns
Workshops 2013/2014

11. • 13 Workshops in 2013
• 11 associated PostDocs will start until mid of 2014 (5
already did)
• 8 Workshops in 2014 with 3 associated PostDocs (excl. upcoming
new sDiv calls)
Examples of Topics:
– Synthesizing population, community, genetic and evolutionary dynamics
– Stoichiometric constraints of biodiversity – functioning relationships
– Using Tree Diversity as an Insurance for the Stable Functioning of Forest Ecosystems
– Biodiversity across spatial scales - linking macroecological models to local-scale biodiversity
patterns
sDiv will then thus have welcomed ca. 450 scientists
in 2013 + 100 in 2014 (excl. upcoming new sDiv calls)
Workshops 2013/2014

12. • 13 Workshops in 2013
• 11 associated PostDocs will start until mid of 2014 (5
already did)
• 8 Workshops in 2014 with 3 associated PostDocs (excl. upcoming
new sDiv calls)
Examples of Topics:
– Synthesizing population, community, genetic and evolutionary dynamics
– Stoichiometric constraints of biodiversity – functioning relationships
– Using Tree Diversity as an Insurance for the Stable Functioning of Forest Ecosystems
– Biodiversity across spatial scales - linking macroecological models to local-scale biodiversity
patterns
sDiv will then thus have welcomed ca. 450 scientists
in 2013 + 100 in 2014 (excl. upcoming new sDiv calls)
Workshops 2013/2014

13. First two sDiv individual PostDoc projects confirmed
for funding
• Viktoriia Radchuk: How does biodiversity affect ecosystem
functioning and community stability
• Stefano Larsen: Niche, neutrality and the maintenance of
biotic diversity in a changing world
PostDocs 2013/2014

14. First two sDiv individual PostDoc projects confirmed
for funding
• Viktoriia Radchuk: How does biodiversity affect ecosystem
functioning and community stability
• Stefano Larsen: Niche, neutrality and the maintenance of
biotic diversity in a changing world
PostDocs 2013/2014
Sabbatical
•Colleen Webb
(iDiv / MPI-BGC; Colorado State University)
starting August 2013
•Evan Weiher (Univ Wisconsin – Eau Claire)

15. Joint SESYNC-UFZ-sDiv call
SESYNC: National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (US)
UFZ: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
• February 2014-December 2015

16. Our approach to the analysis and
synthesis concept
• Strong basis in Theory

17. Our approach to the analysis and
synthesis concept
• Strong basis in Theory
• Bringing together scientists in creative atmosphere
with all support they need

18. Our approach to the analysis and
synthesis concept
• Strong basis in Theory
• Bringing together scientists in creative atmosphere
with all support they need
• good mix of competences/gender/prof status and
“availabilities” for active research (we suggest
persons too)

19. Our approach to the analysis and
synthesis concept
• Strong basis in Theory
• Bringing together scientists in creative atmosphere
with all support they need
• good mix of competences/gender/prof status and
“availabilities” for active research (we suggest
persons too)
• embedded in active research environment

20. Our approach to the analysis and
synthesis concept
• Strong basis in Theory
• Bringing together scientists in creative atmosphere
with all support they need
• good mix of competences/gender/prof status and
“availabilities” for active research (we suggest
persons too)
• embedded in active research environment
• No “ivory tower” research

21. Our approach to the analysis and
synthesis concept
• Strong basis in Theory
• Bringing together scientists in creative atmosphere
with all support they need
• good mix of competences/gender/prof status and
“availabilities” for active research (we suggest
persons too)
• embedded in active research environment
• No “ivory tower” research
• Promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration –
suggesting if necessary additional expertise (i.e.
other researchers) as workshop participants

22. Our approach to the analysis and
synthesis concept
• Strong basis in Theory
• Bringing together scientists in creative atmosphere
with all support they need
• good mix of competences/gender/prof status and
“availabilities” for active research (we suggest
persons too)
• embedded in active research environment
• No “ivory tower” research
• Promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration –
suggesting if necessary additional expertise (i.e.
other researchers) as workshop participants
• Fostering interaction between workshops and iDiv
scientists and/or sDiv PostDocs/Sabbaticalsc

23. Our approach to the analysis and
synthesis concept
• Support by modellers and biodiversity
informaticians
• Support by Theory and Synthesis lab

24. Why you have taken this
approach? Why Synthesis?
• To foster products that make a difference. Not
any synthesis, but the synthesis that makes
the difference for theory formation.
• Instead of adding just more specific theories,
which very likely will be no more
comprehensive and predictive than most
existing theories, we focus on synthesizing
those theories.

25. What you perceive are your
strengths and weaknesses–and
legacy?
Legacy
•sPlot – Global Database on vegetation plot data
combined with trait data
•Etc.

26. What you perceive are your
strengths and weaknesses–and
legacy?
Pro’s:
•iDiv is both, a research and synthesis center
•iDiv is embedded in a regional network of
biodiversity research
•(planned) infrastructure & Leipzig
Con’s:
•Combination of proffessorships will be fundamental
for research focus (relies on persons)
•Distraction – e.g. Leipzig
•Not enough PostDoc support to finalize products
•too fast start with too few staff

27. What is the role of your Centre
in fostering new science and
discoveries ?
• In future a hopefully major one 
• In trying to link international scientists and the
German scientific community, we also hope to
play a leading role in Germany as well.
• Thus increasing the visibility of the German
scientific community is a role too…

28. This meeting
Discussions about:
•the importance of synthetic research for the
future in ecology
•future collaborations, ideas for joint calls/topics
•Sharing tools and evaluation experiences
•experiences in running a synthesis centre (from
calendar, wiki stuff, online conference systems to topic
search etc)
•How to go beyond NCEAS & Co
•Joint ideas how to suppport IPBES
•…time for conceptual thinking without admin stuff in
my office…

29. Merci beaucop!
Yours
sMarten…

30. What happened already?

31. It‘s going to be very busy…
Calendar with
workshop-dates 2013