CiBreed Divisions

CiBreed Divisions

Animal Breeding and Genetics

  • Commissionary Management: Prof. Dr. Jens Tetens
  • Group leader (retired since 01.04.2022): Prof. Dr. Henner Simianer

Breeding Informatics

  • Prof. Dr. Armin Schmitt

We strive to develop and improve informatics and statistical methods to support crop and livestock breeding

Chair of Agricultural and Public Law

  • Prof. Dr. Jose Martinez

    We research the legal framework across all branches of crop, tree and animal breeding.


Chairs of Statistics and Econometrics

  • Prof. Dr. Thomas Kneib

Focused on flexible forms of regression models based on Bayesian inference approaches, our research lies at the interface between machine learning and statistical learning and can be applied to ecology, economics, forestry, genetics, medicine, etc.

Crop Plant Genetics

  • Prof. Dr. Stefan Scholten

We are interested in the genetics and epigenetics of reproduction and hybridization as well as resistance and quality traits to support breeding by functional understanding and prediction of complex traits.

Forest Botany and Tree Physiology

  • Prof. Dr. Andrea Polle

Forest Genetics and Forest Tree Breeding

  • Prof. Dr. Olliver Gailing

We are interested in adaptation mechanisms and tree improvement at the molecular level.

Functional Agrobiodiversity

  • Prof. Dr. Cathrin Westphal

We are interested in the effects of new cultivars and genotypes on productivity, functional agrobiodiversity and multiple ecosystem functions in different cropping systems and environments.


Functional Breeding

  • Prof. Dr. Jens Tetens

We are combining quantitative and molecular approaches to understand the genetics of functional traits related to animal health and resource efficiency.

Genetics and Physiology of Root Development

  • Prof. Dr. Hannah Schneider

The overall goal is to understand the function and genetic control of root traits in specific environments with the aim of enhancing soil resource capture and plant performance to secure food production in a changing climate.

Institute for Microbiology and Genetics

  • Prof. Dr. Burkhard Morgenstern

We are developing software and algorithms for DNA and protein sequence analysis.


Institute of Sugar Beet Research

  • apl. Prof. Dr. Anne-Katrin Mahlein

At the IfZ, we are developing innovative sugar beet cultivation practices, considering all aspects of sugar beet production, like yield and quality forming, or plant diseases and protection as well as plant phenotyping, where we develop and use modern machines, sensors, robots, and analyzing tools.

Institute of Veterinary Medicine

  • Prof. Dr. Bertram Brenig

We are interested in the structural and functional analysis of mammalian genes and genomes and are investigating the cause of different important genetic traits and defects in domestic animals.


Plant Breeding Methodology

  • Dr. Antje Schierholt - Commissionary management

We develop and study statistical, computational, and evolutionary methods that enable plant breeding and plant genetic analysis.

Plant Pathology and Crop Protection

  • Prof. Dr. Andreas von Tiedemann

We study life cycles of fungal pathogens and the interaction with their host plants in order to advance knowledge to manage plant diseases in agricultural crops.

Biotechnology and Reproduction of Farm Animals

  • Prof. Dr. Michael Hölker

We research the molecular relationships and mechanisms that influence the characteristics of fertility and thus the health and robustness of our farm animals.