Dr. Sara Leonhardt

Professor

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Biography

Sara Diana Leonhardt is a distinguished professor specializing in Plant-Insect Interactions at the Technical University of Munich. She investigates ecology and chemistry, focusing on plant-insect relationships particularly involving bees across temperate and tropical regions. Her research projects explore bee-plant interactions and aim to improve bee health and performance in varied habitats while considering biodiversity gradients. Her group employs a mix of ecological approaches, including field studies and biostatistics, alongside classic behavioral techniques and modern analytical chemistry methods such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Sara studied biology at the University of Würzburg and Duke University, obtaining her doctorate in 2010 from the Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology at Würzburg. Following her doctorate, she was a postdoctoral researcher at Leuphana University Lüneburg and an associate lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast. In 2013, she returned to the University of Würzburg as a research group leader and was appointed as a professor at TUM in 2019. Throughout her career, she has been recognized with several awards, including the BiodivERsA EU Grant and the Bosch Fast Track Career Development Fellowship.

Research Interests

Experience

Professor

2019-01-01 — Present

Technical University of Munich • Munich, Germany

Leads research on plant-insect interactions and ecological methods.

Research Group Leader

2013-01-01 — 2019-01-01

University of Würzburg • Würzburg, Germany

Managed a research group focused on ecology and plant-insect interactions.

Associate Lecturer

— Present

University of the Sunshine Coast • Sunshine Coast, Australia

Provided instruction in ecological principles and research methodologies.

Postdoctoral Researcher

— Present

Leuphana University Lüneburg • Lüneburg, Germany

Conducted research in animal ecology and tropical biology.

Awards

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BiodivERsA EU Grant

2019-01-01
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Bosch Fast Track Career Development Fellowship

2017-01-01
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GSLS PostDocPlus Research Award

2014-01-01
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Eon Kulturpreis Bayern

2011-01-01
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GSLS PhD Fellowship

2005-01-01