WPA Research Projects

Water access and availability, wells, dams, water storage, distribution and transport systems, water for cooling and cleaning, the competition for water by industries, urban use and the environment, water discharge and catchment dynamics, hydrology, water in rivers, wetlands and aquifers, physical and economical water scarcity, water harvesting, fossil water, concept of green and blue water resources.

Scholar	Nationality	Institute	Topic	Foreign-partner	Time
Issifu Sulemana		Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute)	Plant-associated microbiome responses in relation to perennial grain crops		2021-2024
Natalie Palm		Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology	The water caltrop (Trapa natans L.): a neglected, endangered macrophyte as a multi-purpose crop species under the constraint of its invasive potential		2021-2024
Daniela Bendel		Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation	Assessment of soil functions and valuation of lost soil-related ecosystem services due to land consumption and soil sealing under a changing climate		2019-2022
Sabine Baumgartner		Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute)	How resilient are semi-arid rangelands towards high grazing pressure and rainfall variability? Water and nutrient availability under different grazing regimes in Eastern Africa		2019-2022
Alexandra Schappert		Institute of Phytomedicine, Department of Weed Science	Effects of cover crops and conservation tillage on weed suppression		2017-2020
Hongxi Liu		Institute for Plant Production and Agroecology of the Tropics and Subtropics	Water Yield and Carbon export within watersheds affected by intensive rubber cultivation in Xishuangbanna, South-West China		2014-2017

Global climate dynamics affecting water resources, water transport in the atmosphere, global water circulation, climate variability and change, water distribution by macro-, meso- and micro climate effects, climate modeling and scenario development.

Scholar	Nationality	Institute	Topic	Foreign-partner	Time
Syed Saqlain Abbas		Institute of Physics and Meteorology, University of Hohenheim	Investigation of Ocean- and Land-Atmosphere Feedbacks using a new Synergy of Active Remote Sensing Systems.		2022-2025
Vincent Leyrer		Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, Soil Biology	Does microbial adaptation to future mean climatic conditions control the response of agroecosystems to severe drought events?		2020-2023
Margarete Eggli		Institute of Botany	Spatio-temporal reconstruction of precipitation variability using tree rings from different regions of southern Germany between AD 1300 - 1800.		2018-2021
Lisa Jach		Institute of Physics and Meterology	An assesment of land-atmosphere coupling strenght due to land use change in the past and under two future climate scenarios in Europe		2018-2021
Paolo Mori		Institute of Physics and Meteorology	Seasonal Forecasts for the Horn of Africa using high-resolution simulations with the WRF-NOAHMP-HYDRO model		2017-2020
Robert Kahle		Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, Soil Biology	The response of soil moisture to climate change as a key driver of changes in important agricultural ecosystem functions		2016-2019
Irene Witte		Institute for Soil Science and Land evaluation	Water use efficiency and groundwater recharge in Southwest Germany under Climate Change		2015-2018

Efficiency of agricultural and industrial production systems, “more crop per drop”, improving irrigation systems, managing green water resources in rainfed systems, dry farming, water saving, water and rain use efficiency, affecting water pathways by management, adapt systems to climate variability or change, industrial water use efficiency, sustainable intensification, sustainable water use, salinity.

Scholar	Nationality	Institute	Topic	Foreign-partner	Time
Sreymey Ngoun		Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute)	Real color crop imaging for improved crop water status monitoring in cassava		2022-2025
Gabriella Leonor Vives Rivero		Institute of Landscape and Plant Ecology Faculty of Agricultural Science	Macrophytes for wetland ecosystems management: Assessment of the spatial and temporal distribution of aquatic macrophytes as bioindicators of fishery production and nature conservation		2022-2025
Mancha Lorraine Ramotjiki		Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute)	Interactive effects of pollination and irrigation on Macadamia crop production		2021-2024
Theresa Detering		Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute)	Cleaning waste water with hydroponic plant production		2021-2024
Kristian Johnson		Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute)	Effects of water-saving irrigation strategies on genotypic performance of irrigated lowland rice under different levels of salinity in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam		2019-2021
Hossein Zare		Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation	Assimilation of soil moisture and leaf are index data from satellite remote sensing to improve the forecasting power of crop models		2018-2021
Mariana Pereira		Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute)	Assesing the water footprint of beef cattle production in integrated systems in Central West Brazil		2018-2021
Laura Mack		Institute for Crop Science	Water Scarcity in Egypt - improving and developing water sound cropping systems for the ancient grains 'quinoa' and 'chia'.		2015-2018
Carolin Weiler		Institute for Crop Science	Minimizing water use conflicts of table grape production in Israel and Germany		2014-2017
Anna Krupp		Institute of Botany	Host recognition and resistance reactions in the interaction of the parasitic weed Orobanche cumana and cultivated sunflower		2014-2017
Sarah Glatzle		Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute)	Improving water management with integrated crop-livestock systems in Brazil - the plant perspective		2014-2017
Charles Nwankwo		Institute for Soil Science and Land Evaluation	The seed ball technology – a transdisciplinary approach to its development and implementation into Sahelian pearl millet production systems		2014-2017

Water quality, waste water treatment and management, reuse of waste water, sanitary use, drinking water and nutrition, improving food safety and sanitation for the marginalized poor developing countries, environmental pollution, safeguarding water quality and ecosystem health.

Scholar	Nationality	Institute	Topic	Foreign-partner	Time
Konrad Egenolf		Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute)	Biological nitrification inhibition - A strategy to preserve the quality of groundwater bodies through reduced nitrate leaching in agroecoecosystems.		2015-2018

Water governance, policies and trade, water footprints, virtual water concept, water value, investment into water systems, institutional and socio-economical issues related to water scarcity, cultural impacts, conflicts, water and art, water for sports, tourism and recreation, water poverty and equity, gender roles and social differences, impact assessments and modeling.

Scholar	Nationality	Institute	Topic	Foreign-partner	Time
Melissa Morcote Martinez		Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute)	Untangling and managing the nested seasonal effects of changes in rainfall distribution- An assessment framework created by smallholder cocoa farmers to identify resilience pathway		2023-2026
Aaron Willmott		Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute)	Enhancing biodiversity and the provision of water-based ecosystem services in agroforestry while considering smallholder preferences.		2022-2025
Eva Hilt		Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute)	Co-developing technical and social innovations for sustainable water resource management in Kenyan smallholder farming sytsmes through diffusion of a Collaborative Learning approach		2019-2022
Kevin Thellmann		Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute)	Tipping points in water quality and quantity for human consumption and agricultural use		2017-2020
Katja Beck		Institute of Social Sciences in Agriculture	Cooperations in Water Protection Areas		2016-2019