Katrin Kahlen

Prof. Dr. Katrin Kahlen

Organizational Unit(s):Department of Modeling & Systems AnalysisProfessorship for Mathematics, Statistics, Mathematical Modeling and Simulation

Contact:
Phone: +49 6722 502 582
eMail: Katrin.Kahlen(at)hs-gm.de
Postal Address:Von-Lade-Straße 1
D-65366 Geisenheim
Address: Building 6101
Room 00.03
Von-Lade-Straße 2
65366 Geisenheim
Vita

Katrin Kahlen holds a degree in mathematics with minor subject physical chemistry after studies at the universities of Oldenburg and Hannover. She obtained a PhD from the University of Hannover in 2000, followed by postdoctoral work in a Collaborative Research Centre (SFB 326). After that, she worked at the Institute of Vegetable Crops and Systems’ Modelling at the University of Hannover (2002-2011) with a habilitation in 2011 in the field of agronomy. Since August 2011, she is working as research associate at HGU, first at the Department of Vegetable Crops and since 2020 at the Department of Modeling and Systems Analysis. In 2021, Katrin Kahlen was awarded the title of professor by HGU. She is a member of the editorial board of Frontiers in Plant Science in the Section Plant Biophysics and Modelling and reviewer for national and international journals as well as for research foundations. She represents the HGU as member in the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO) and, since October 2017, Katrin Kahlen is the deputy vice president for research at HGU.

Publications
Research Projects

Project start: 01.06.2021
Project end: 31.05.2024
Sponsor: German Federal Environmental Foundation

The vineyard as an ecosystem and the grapevine (Vitis vinifera) are excellent models for making the consequences of climate change directly visible in various ways, both in biology classes and considering Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). While climate change makes viticulture economically feasible today in regions where it was considered a curiosity decades ago and is thus perceived as a positive driver of this development, the consequences for viticulture in other regions are to be assessed as negative. In addition to higher temperatures, heavy rain or increasing CO2 concentrations, new pests pose a problem that must be countered. Influences of climate change on the level of the ecosystem and on the level of the grapevine as a model plant can be discussed not only in the cultivation regions of the Rhine-Main area, where viticulture is of high relevance to everyday life. References to biological and agricultural topics are diverse and affect not only ecological and biological aspects but also social and economic components. Modeling and computer simulations of possible changes in the vineyard ecosystem as a consequence of climate change can show appropriate solution options and encourage digital learning. Along with real encounters in the vineyard as a site for out-of-school teaching and learning activities, current research results can also be taken into account. In this way, environmental, sociological and environmental educational research is also complied, which has long called for concrete everyday ecological situations to be examined to contribute to the development of sustainability awareness. The aim is to enable learners to deal critically and reflectively with climate change and its diverse consequences, to make appropriate decisions to act in the interests of sustainable development.

Hochschule Geisenheim
© © Liane Flemming (WinUM2.0)

Project start: 01.11.2020
Project end: 31.10.2023
Sponsor: German Research Foundation

Hochschule Geisenheim
© Dr. Dominik Schmidt

Project start: 01.05.2017
Project end: 30.04.2021
Sponsor: Hessen State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts

Strengthening the research in the HGU's profile topics requires the establishment of Bioinformatics / Applied Statistics (BiaS) at the HGU. The BiaS research area is a cross-sectional science addressing the collection, analysis and storage of data as a key discipline across all subject areas. Its goal is to develop methods and tools to translate vast amounts of data into information and knowledge. It thus contributes significantly to the systems analysis of complex biological, technical, biotechnological and crop cultivation systems and their integration.

Project start: 01.01.2014
Project end: 31.12.2017
Sponsor: Hessen State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts

Within the FACE2FACE experiment the effects of climate change on agricultural ecosystems such as grassland and specialized crops are investigated. For the cultivation of specialized crops, particular emphasis is placed on plant physiology as well as ingredient composition of harvested material. In the subproject “AP 3.1 Ingredients & product quality – vegetables” the effects of elevated CO2 in interaction with reduced water supply on ingredient composition of spinach, radish and cucumber are investigated.

Project start: 07.08.2012
Project end: 06.08.2015
Sponsor: German Research Foundation

Salinity stress causes architectural alterations and physiological disturbances on plants, with tremendous implications for light interception and crop productivity. The purpose of this project was to develop an integrated understanding of salinity-induced architectural alterations and physiological disturbances significant for the cucumber productivity and to study the interactions between salinity and light.

Presentations