CV

Education

2015: PhD in Biology, Lund University, Sweden, “Physical and biological dispersal barriers in invasive, bloom-forming microalgae”

2010: German Diploma in Biology (equivalent to MSc), University of Rostock, Germany, “Isolation, cultivation and taxonomy of filamentous cyanobacteria in the Darß-Zingst-Bodden Chain”

Professional experience

since Apr 2026: Senior researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), Germany

Nov 2023 - Mar 2026: Tenure track researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), Germany

Feb – Oct 2023: Research Engineer, Erkenlab, Uppsala University, Sweden

Jan 2020 – Jan 2023: Olle Engkvist Fellow, Limnology, Uppsala University, Sweden

Jan 2018 – Dec 2019: Postdoctoral Researcher, Laboratoire d’Océanologie et de Géosciences, Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale, France

Sep 2015 – Nov 2017: Postdoctoral Researcher, Marine Science Institute, University of Texas at Austin, USA

Projects

HABBAL: BiodivGesundheit2: Assessment of the effect of novel Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) species in the Baltic Sea (01.08.2024 - 31.07.2027) BMFTR - Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt

Publications before my time at IOW

Sassenhagen, I., Langenheder, S. & Lindström, E.S. (2023) Infection strategies of different chytrids in a diatom spring bloom. Freshwater Biology, 68(6), pp 972-986.

Sassenhagen, I., Erdner, D. L., Lougheed, B. C., Richlen, M. L. & Sjöqvist, C. (2022) Estimating genotypic richness and proportion of identical multi-locus genotypes in aquatic microalgal populations. Journal of Plankton Research, 44(4), pp 559-572.

Christaki, U., Skouroliakou, I.-D., Delegrange, A., Irion, S., Courcot, L., Jardillier, L. & Sassenhagen, I. (2021) Microzooplankton diversity and role in carbon cycle in contrasting Southern Ocean productivity regimes. Journal of Marine Systems, 219:03531.

Rengefors, K., Gollnisch, R., Sassenhagen, I., Härnström Aloisi, K., Svensson, M., Lebert, K., Čertnerová, D., Cresko, W.A., Bassham, S. & Ahrén, D. (2021) Genome-wide SNP markers reveal population structure and dispersal direction of an expanding nuisance algal bloom species. Molecular Ecology, 30(4), pp 912-925.

Christaki, U., Gueneugues, A., Liu, Y., Blain, S., Catala, P., Colombet, J., Debeljak, P., Jardillier, L., Irion, S., Planchon, F., Sassenhagen, I., Sime-Ngando, T. & Obernosterer, I. (2020) Seasonal microbial food web dynamics in contrasting Southern Ocean productivity regimes. Limnology and Oceanography, 66(1), pp 108-122 .

Irion, S., Jardillier, L., Sassenhagen, I., & Christaki U. (2020) Marked spatiotemporal variations in small phytoplankton structure in contrasted waters of the Southern Ocean (Kerguelen area). Limnology and Oceanography, 65:11, 2835-2852.

Sassenhagen, I., Irion, S., Jardillier, L., Moreira, D. & Christaki, U. (2019) Protist Interactions and Community Structure During Early Autumn in the Kerguelen region (Southern Ocean). Protist, 125709.

Gao, Y., Sassenhagen, I., Richlen, M. L., Anderson, D. M., Martin, J. L. & Erdner, D. L. (2019) Spatiotemporal genetic structure of regional-scale Alexandrium catenella dinoflagellate blooms explained by extensive dispersal and environmental selection. Harmful Algae, 86, pp 46-54.

Sassenhagen, I. & Rengefors K. (2019) Sequencing and Phylogenetic Analysis of Chloroplast Genes in Freshwater Raphidophytes. Genes, 10(3), 245.

Sassenhagen, I., Gao, Y., Lozano-Duque Y., Parsons, M. L., Smith, T. B. & Erdner, D. L. (2018) Comparison of spatial and temporal genetic differentiation in a harmful dinoflagellate species emphasises impact of local processes. Frontiers in Marine Science, 5(393).

Sassenhagen, I. & Erdner, D. L. (2017) Microsatellite markers for the dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus caribaeus from high-throughput sequencing data. Journal of Applied Phycology, 29(4), pp 1927-1932.

Bunse, C., Bertos-Fortis, M., Sassenhagen, I., Sildever, S., Sjöqvist, C., Godhe, A., Gross, S., Kremp, A., Lips, I., Lundholm, N., Rengefors, K., Sefbom, J., Pinhassi, J. Legrand, C. (2016) Spatio-temporal interdependence of bacteria and phytoplankton during a Baltic Sea spring bloom. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7(517).

Godhe, A., Sjöqvist, C., Sildever, S., Sefbom, J., Harðardóttir, S., Bertos-Fortis, M., Bunse, C., Gross, S., Johansson, E., Jonsson, P.R., Khandan, S., Legrand, C., Lips, I., Lundholm, N., Rengefors, K., Sassenhagen, I., Suikkanen, S., Sundqvist, L. & Kremp, A. (2016) Physical and environmental selection cause spatial and temporal genetic differentiation of a Baltic Sea spring bloom. Journal of Biogeography, 43, pp 1130-1142.

Sassenhagen, I., Sefbom, J., Godhe, A. & Rengefors, K. (2015) Germination and colonization success of algal cysts after dispersal to new habitats. Journal of Plankton Research, 37(5), pp 857- 861.

Sassenhagen, I., Sefbom, J., Säll, T., Godhe, A. & Rengefors, K. (2015) Freshwater protists do not go with the flow: Population structure in Gonyostomum semen independent of connectivity among lakes. Environmental Microbiology, 17(12), pp 5063-5072.

Sefbom, J., Sassenhagen, I., Rengefors, K. & Godhe, A. (2015) Priority effects in a planktonic bloom-forming marine diatom. Biology Letters, 11, 20150184.

Sassenhagen, I., Wilken, S., Godhe, A. & Rengefors, K. (2015) Phenotypic plasticity and differentiation in an invasive freshwater microalga. Harmful Algae, 41, pp 38-45.

Sassenhagen, I., Rengefors, K., Richardson, T. L. & Pinckney, J. L. (2014) Pigment composition and photoacclimation as keys to the ecological success of Gonyostomum semen (Raphidophyceae, Stramenopiles). Journal of Phycology, 50(6), pp 1146-1154.