Natalja Mai

I am interested in how (1) insect diversity in (2) tropical agroecological systems is shaped by (3) interacting direct drivers, particularly land-use change and climate change. To study these patterns, I am using a mixture of modern technologies, including (4) automated data collection, espectially through satellite remote sensing, and field surveys. 

FARMS4Biodiversity - biodiversity conservation, support ecosystem services, and improve food security under scenarios of land-use change in Malawi

UPSCALE - improve food security, livelihoods, and climate change resilience in the sub-Saharan region of East Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda), while reducing the environmental impact of agricultural practices

09/2025 – present         PhD student at the Julius-Maximilians University Würzburg, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Germany

03/2023 – 05/2024        External M.Sc. thesis at Centre for Environmental and Climate Research (CEC) Lund University, Sweden

11/2020 – 05/2024        M.Sc. Global Change Geography, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany 

01/2020 – 06/2020        Erasmus exchange at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway

09/2019 – 12/2019        Research internship at the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland

10/2017 – 06/2021        B.Sc. Geography, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany