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Research Interests

In my PhD project I am studying the impact of diverse honeys on social immunity of honeybee colonies and their potential for self-medication against European foulbrood associated bacteria. I am employing a variety of methods like infection experiments with in vitro reared larvae, gene expressional studies and behavioural experiments. The project also includes the characterisation of antimicrobial honey compounds and the effects on larval innate immune response.

Further, I am interested in:

• Innate immune system and behavioural immune defence in honeybees
• Stress response and phenotypic plasticity in social organisms
• Honeybee physiology

Curriculum vitae

Education

• Since 2015:
  • PhD candidate, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
  • Topic: "Self-medication and innate immunity in the honeybee Apis mellifera"
• 2013:
  • Diploma, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
  • Thesis: "Effect of group size on the expression of insulin-like pathway genes in workers of the western honeybee (Apis mellifera L.)"

Presentations

• 2014: "Effect of group size on stress gene expression in the honeybee worker", 61. AG Tagung, Marburg, Germany
• 2013: "Effect of group size on the metabolism of the honey bee worker", Meeting of the Association of Beekeepers "Landesverband Thüringer Imker e.V.", Jena, Germany

Internships, Training

• 2014:
  • Training in the "Honeybees and Environment" division of the INRA, Avignon, France (Leonardo Da Vinci scholarship)
• 2010:
  • Internship at the Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre, Halle, Germany

Teaching

• 2012-2014: Teaching assistant for undergraduates practical course in zoology

Publications

• Kurze C, Le Conte Y, Dussaubat C, Erler S, Kryger P, Lewkowski O, Müller T, Widder M, and Moritz RFA (2015): Nosema tolerant honeybees (Apis mellifera) escape parasitic manipulation of apoptosis Plos One e0140174.