Partner 09: FREIE UNIVERSITÄT BERLIN

Partner description

Freie Universität Berlin (FUB) has been one of the German universities of excellence since 2007. The university is leading in research and teaching and has many regional and international partners. FUB is a winner in the State and Federal Excellence competition. FUB is a full-spectrum university, comprising twelve departments and three Central Institutes that together offer more than 150 different academic programs in a broad range of disciplines. FUB owes its founding, in 1948, to international support, and international impulses have shaped the university’s research activities and student life ever since. As an International Network University, FUB thrives on its many contacts with higher education institutions and organizations in Germany and abroad, which provide critical impetus for the university’s research and teaching activities. FUB is represented by the lab of Prof Rillig, part of the Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy, and the Institute of Biology.

Website: https://www.fu-berlin.de/en/index.html

Role in the project

FUB, represented by the research lab of Prof Rillig, contributes expertise in microplastic effects in soils, having worked on this topic since 2012. In particular, the group will focus on capturing effects of microplastics on soil molecular diversity with an emphasis on fungi.

Persons involved

Prof. Matthias C Rillig (M) is Full Professor of Ecology in the Institute of Biology, with expertise in soil ecology, fungi, and global change. Author of the first paper on microplastic in soil (Rillig 2012; Env Sci Techn), he has been working on this issue with a focus on effects on soil structure, soil processes, plants and soil microbes. He leads a lab of currently about 50 persons, working on various topics related to soil, fungi and global change. He has published over 320 papers (H-index WoS = 67; cite >16.900 times).