Teaching
We teach undergraduate and graduate courses and offer research internships and Bachelor’s and Master’s projects in the Biodiversity programme at UZH. Our teaching covers theoretical and applied topics in quantitative population ecology and includes analytical methods that can be used for conservation management of wildlife populations.
EEE102 Introduction to Ecology (spring semester, 4 ECTS, syllabus): This course covers all levels of ecological complexity, from responses of individual organisms to the biotic and abiotic environment via the impact of resources and competition on the structure and dynamics of populations through to interactions among species and the fluxes of energy and matter in ecosystems.
Team: Arpat Ozgul (organiser & lecturer) • Jakob Pernthaler (lecturer) • Daniela Abegg (TA)
EEE220 Practical Population Ecology – Studying Snow Voles in the Alps (early and late summer, 1 ECTS): This is a hands-on field experience with an Alpine snow vole population study through two five-day field trips (four nights each) to Churwalden. Students learn capture-mark-recapture techniques, write reports on field methodology, and have the option to analyse long-term data for personal projects. Accommodation is arranged and costs are covered by the course. Learn more about the snow vole fieldwork.
Team: Arpat Ozgul (organiser & lecturer)
EEE323 Field Methods and Quantitative Analyses in Wildlife Management Research (spring semester, 6 ECTS, syllabus): This course is aimed at building a bridge between theoretical concepts in wildlife biology and actual data collection in the field.
Team: Benedikt Gehr (organiser & lecturer) • Dominique Waldvogel (TA) • Daniel Breitenmoser (TA)
EEE330 Population Ecology (fall semester, 6 ECTS, syllabus): This course is designed to expose students to concepts and models in population ecology, and their application to conservation and management of wildlife populations.
Team: Arpat Ozgul (organiser & lecturer) • Stefan Sommer (TA) • Daniel Breitenmoser (TA)
EEE331 Kalahari Field Course (summer block course, 4 weeks, 6 ECTS, course page): This field course takes place at the Kalahari Research Centre and in the Kgalagadi and Augrabies Falls National Parks in South Africa. Students learn to develop and test their own research questions through small field projects, analyse their data with modern statistical methods, and present their results, while getting to know the local fauna, flora, and conservation issues.
Team: Marta Manser (organiser & lecturer) • Lukas Keller (lecturer) • Arpat Ozgul (lecturer)
EEE333 Conservation Science and Practice of Swiss Amphibians (spring semester, 6 ECTS): The course gives an introduction to animal conservation in Switzerland. Amphibian conservation will be used as a case study. After an introduction to the diversity and ecology of Swiss amphibians, the students will learn about the science and practice of animal conservation in Switzerland. We will discuss the elements population, metapopulation and landscape ecology that matter for conservation. We will study how science can contribute to better conservation and how the success of conservation work can be assessed. We will analyse how real-world conservation is done. Excursions, field work and data analysis are an integral part of the course.
Team: Benedikt Schmidt (organiser & lecturer)
BIO357 Research Internship in Ecology (year-round, 4–12 weeks, 1 ECTS per week): This practical training gives students the opportunity to carry out a research project in our group. If interested, please contact us first. Once the project is agreed, send the module coordinator, Owen Petchey, the supervisor’s name, the project title, a description of at most 50 words, the dates and the credits sought. The internship is graded on the written report. Module information and grading rubric.
EEE299/300 Bachelor’s Thesis in Biodiversity (third year of the BSc Biodiversity, about three months, 12 ECTS, programme information): Students carry out an empirical research project in a UZH research group and write it up as a thesis in English. Register for EEE299 in spring, then rank the projects offered on OLAT; students are matched to a supervisor in May and submit by 30 November or 15 June. For questions about a thesis in our group, please contact us.
EEE500 Master Thesis in Biodiversity (year-round, 60 ECTS, programme information): Fifty-two weeks of practical scientific research, in which a question in ecology, evolutionary biology, behavioural biology or environmental science is tackled independently under the guidance of a supervisor. A written thesis documents the research and is the basis of assessment. For a thesis in our group, please contact us.
PopEcol Journal & Book Club (weekly, year-round): Every week we discuss recent articles and books in ecology, evolution and biological conservation. If you are interested in joining, please contact us.
Past courses
ECO343 Spatial Dimension in Animal Management and Conservation (last offered in August 2021, 1-week workshop, 2 ECTS): Understanding how animals respond to human-induced degradation and fragmentation of suitable habitats is critical for developing appropriate management and conservation plans. New technologies have made it possible to collect animal location data and remotely sensed environmental data at finer spatial and temporal scales. This workshop provides participants with a quantitative toolset to leverage these data sources so that they can address emerging questions in the field of animal movement ecology.
UWW231 Analysis and Management of Biological Populations (last offered in fall semester 2023, 2 ECTS): This course teaches the theoretical background of conservation biology and its application in different sub-fields. The course covers the theory underlying the analysis and management of wildlife populations, and its application to different areas such as invasive species, re-wilding, rare species management, and ecological restoration.