About us

Contact

Institute of Ecology and Evolution

Baltzerstrasse 6, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. (African Proverb)

For general requests, please contact admin.iee@unibe.ch or concerning IT specific requests it.iee@unibe.

People

Executive Director

Deputy Executive Director

Co-Directors

Office Managers

IT Service

House management

Division Heads

Prof. Dr. Raphaël Arlettaz
Conservation Biology

Prof. Dr. Claudia Bank
Theoretical Ecology and Evolution

Prof. Dr. Catherine (Katie) Peichel
Evolutionary Ecology

Prof. Dr. Ole Seehausen
Aquatic Ecology

Prof. Dr. Eva Ringler
Behavioural Ecology

Prof. Dr. Madhav (Maddy) Prakash Thakur
Terrestrial Ecology

Group Leaders

Prof. Dr. Anne-Claire Fabre
Evolutionary Functional Morphology, Curator of Mammals

Prof. Dr. Gerald Heckel
Population Genetics

Prof. Dr. Margaret Owour
Professor of Integrative Biodiversity Conservation Science

Prof. Dr. Xiang-Yi Li Richter
Evolving Interactions

Prof. Dr. Barbara Taborsky
Behavioural Ecology

Associated Lecturers

Dr. David R. Johnson
Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag)
 

Professor Emeritus

All IEE members

To find any IEE member, please use the search function in the upper right of this page, or see the web pages of the research group they belong to.

Other Information

At the Department of Biology, we strive to foster a respectful, inclusive, and harassment- and discrimination-free environment where students, staff, scientists and affiliated persons from all backgrounds feel welcome, safe, and empowered to succeed in their careers. We unreservedly support equitable opportunities, gender equity, diversity and inclusion at all levels. To achieve these goals, the Department of Biology seeks to identify and address issues relevant to members of all marginalized groups and minorities. This includes, but is not limited to, considerations of racialization, religion, sexual orientation, gender as a diverse and fluid spectrum of identities beyond the traditional binary classification of biological sex, socioeconomic status, disability and care duties.

The specific goals of the department are to improve DEI through increasing diversity in hiring at all levels including leadership, and increasing equity in support for career development, opportunities to excel at all career levels, and involvement in decision making. The Department strives to put high priority on generating a working atmosphere for students and employees in which every individual can develop to their full potential and in which conscious, unconscious, structural and systemic biases are recognized, openly discussed, counteracted, and, where needed, mitigated by compensatory measures. The Department of Biology strives to foster a culture of mutual respect and appreciation, where discrimination of any kind is unacceptable, and an openness to deliver and receive criticism regarding forms and content of exchange becomes normal across all professional hierarchies.

As a response to the 2023 external research evaluation of the Department of Biology, a DEI working group was established. If you have recommendations or suggestions for what the DEI group should address, but also if you have specific wishes or concerns, please reach out to “Contact email”.

This is to let you know that there are new instruments in place for victims and observers to report instances of racism and harassment anonymously:

  1. The university has launched a website with info on the university’s current campaign against racism. It includes an email address to report and get help in instances of racism (non-anonymously, although your report will be kept confidential for as long as you like), and a link to a form (in several languages) to report anonymously:
    https://www.unibe.ch/university/portrait/self_image/equal_opportunities/topics/respectful_and_inclusive_study_and_work_environment/racism/index_eng.html
  2. The city of Bern has an ongoing campaign in which you can report instances of any kind of harassment anywhere in town (as victim or observer):
    https://bernschauthin.ch/en/

Note that anonymous reports cannot be used to invoke actions against (named) harassers, and it does not allow the receivers of the reports to reach out to the victims to offer help. However, these reports may pinpoint hotspots and patterns that can then be followed up with targeted actions. Moreover, any sincere report contributes to highlighting that more work needs to be done to make everyone feel safe at this university and in this city.

Respectful and inclusive study and work environment at the University of Bern

(University links for support on disabilities and chronic illnesses, mental health, racism, sexual harassment and sexism, and hate speech):
https://www.unibe.ch/university/portrait/self_image/equal_opportunities/topics/respectful_and_inclusive_study_and_work_environment/index_eng.html

Reporting of sexual harassment and racist or discriminatory incidents:

Form to report Racist/Discriminatory incidents at the University of Bern:
https://www.unibe.ch/university/portrait/self_image/equal_opportunities/topics/respectful_and_inclusive_study_and_work_environment/racism/reporting_form/index_eng.html

Procedure to report sexual harassment:

https://www.respekt.unibe.ch/concerned___zwnjwhat_to_do/procedure_for_a_report/index_eng.html

Universities of Bern Counselling center:

cantonal center for counselling for mental health, career entry and career path, navigating campus life and more

https://www.bst.bkd.be.ch/en/start.html

Counselling and other resources for students:

Services and information from the SUB (Studierendenschaft der Universität Bern – the official student association of the University of Bern); links about legal advice, womentoring, LGBTQ+ resources and more:
https://sub.unibe.ch/en/services-information-11.html

Healthy UniBe (University links for mental and physical health):

https://www.karriere.unibe.ch/health/index_eng.html

Die Dargebotene Hand (emotional first aid; mental health):

https://www.143.ch/en/

Reden kann retten (mental health):

https://www.reden-kann-retten.ch/

Advisory services

The advisors listed below from the Department of Biology are a first and low-threshold point of contact for problems and conflicts that cannot be resolved in direct discussions with superiors and/or colleagues. All concerns are treated in strict confidence. The confidential counsellors cannot issue orders, but can suggest possible solutions and provide contacts.

Institute of Cell Biology

Institute of Ecology and Evolution

Institute of Plant Sciences

You can find further advisory services here:

The Advisory service guide provides information on offers, advisory centers and points of contact at the University, and on options for how to proceed. This website is structured according to stakeholder groups so that you can quickly find the contact person responsible for your issue.

University Equal Opportunities Department advises all members of the university and university units on various topics (incl. gender identity, sexual orientation; disability, chronic illness and mental health; ethnic and social origin).

The University Ombudsman's Office is an independent authority in case of conflicts for all employees of the University of Bern.

Bern University Counseling Center provides free and confidential personal counselling and coaching to all students and employees of the University of Bern.

The Human Resources Department of the University of Bern ensures proper personnel and salary administration for all employees.

Legal Services of the University of Bern advises members of the University Executive Board, the faculties and other university units as well as the departments of the University Administration on university matters.

Legal advice from the MVUB (for members only): The Intermediate Staff Association (Mittelbauvereinigung; MVUB) supports various concerns.

Legal assistance service and social fund of the SUB (for members only) The Student Union of the University of Bern (SUB) offers various services.

 

Where to report observed or experienced instances of racism and harassment

This is to let you know that there are new instruments in place for victims and observers to report instances of racism and harassment anonymously:

  1. The university has launched a website with info on the university’s current campaign against racism. It includes an email address to report and get help in instances of racism (non-anonymously, although your report will be kept confidential for as long as you like), and a link to a form (in several languages) to report anonymously:
    https://www.unibe.ch/university/portrait/self_image/equal_opportunities/topics/respectful_and_inclusive_study_and_work_environment/racism/index_eng.html
  2. The city of Bern has an ongoing campaign in which you can report instances of any kind of harassment anywhere in town (as victim or observer):
    https://bernschauthin.ch/en/

Note that anonymous reports cannot be used to invoke actions against (named) harassers, and it does not allow the receivers of the reports to reach out to the victims to offer help. However, these reports may pinpoint hotspots and patterns that can then be followed up with targeted actions. Moreover, any sincere report contributes to highlighting that more work needs to be done to make everyone feel safe at this university and in this city.

Better science:
https://betterscience.ch/en/#/

The Department’s FINTA* group for women, intersex, non-binary, trans and agender early career scientists (students, PhD and postdocs) and professionals working at the Department of Biology:
https://fintagroupbiounibe.wordpress.com/

If you are interested in an informal exchange among Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) at the Department of Biology send an email to:
loraine.habluetzel@unibe.ch

Café Revolution (safe space in Bern for people affected by anti-black racism and people engaging in anti-racist work):
https://www.caferevolution.ch

The IEE is not accepting new applications for SNSF or ERC Starting Grants with submission deadlines before January 2027.