Research Focus

I am interested in marine metazoan biodiversity, ecology, evolution and in the development, evaluation and implementation of molecular species identification techniques. I am using the strengths of integrated approaches to detect patterns in diversity and compositions in coastal, open ocean, pelagic and benthic communities with special emphasis on monitoring and conservation purposes in our changing ocean.

Keywords

Biodiversity – Zooplankton – Marine Fauna – Environmental DNA

Most Recent Projects

2024-2027 BMBF collaborative project Concepts for Reducing the Effects of Anthropogenic pressures and uses on marine Ecosystems and on Biodiversity [CREATE-2]

2024-2027 BMBF collaborative project Assessment of the effect of novel Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) species in the Baltic Sea [HABBAL-2] 

2023-2024 BMBF collaborative project Assessment of the effect of the expanding Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) species Alexandrium pseudogonyaulax on biodiversity and human health in the Baltic Sea [HABBAL]

2022-2026 DFG project Hydrological and geobiological drivers of modern supratidal microbialite connectivity and formation

2021-2024 BMBF collaborative project Concepts for Reducing the Effects of Anthropogenic pressures and uses on marine Ecosystems and on Biodiversity [CREATE]

2019-2023 BMBF collaborative project Beagle Channel Observatory. Dynamic impact of ice mass loss in the Andes on terrestrial, limnic and marine ecosystems [DynAMo]

Selected publications

Ohnesorge A, John U, Taudien S, Neuhaus S, Kuczynski L, Laakmann S (2023) Capturing drifting species and molecules—Lessons learned from integrated approaches to assess marine metazoan diversity in highly dynamic waters. Environmental DNA 5: 1541-1556.

Peters J, Laakmann S, Rossel S, Martínez Arbizu P, Renz J (2023) Perspectives of species identification by MALDI-TOF MS in monitoring—Stability of proteomic fingerprints in marine epipelagic copepods. Molecular Ecology Resources 23: 1077-1091.

Laakmann S, Blanco Bercial L, Cornils A (2020) The crossover from microscopy to genes in marine diversity – from species to assemblages in marine pelagic copepods. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 375(1814): 20190446.

Short CV

2024 – today Scientist in the Plankton Ecology Project Group at Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg, HIFMB

2018 – 2024 Lead of the Focus Group Marine Molecular Ecology at Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg, HIFMB

2017 – 2018 EXIST Business Start-up Grant

2010 – 2017 Postdoctoral Fellow, German Center for Marine Biodiversity Research (DZMB), Senckenberg am Meer, Wilhelmshaven

2009 – 2010 Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Marine Ecosystem and Fishery Science, Hamburg

2005 – 2009 Dissertation at the University of Bremen

2000 – 2005 Study of Biology at the University of Bremen

1998 – 2000 Study of Biology at the University of Frankfurt am Main