Council Members

Bart Van de Vijver

President 2025-2027

Botanic Garden Meise
Research Department
Nieuwelaan 38
1860 Meise
Belgium

Bart Van de Vijver started his research at the University of Antwerp studying the use of diatoms as bioindicators in Belgium. Very soon he shifted his research interests towards morphology, taxonomy and biogeography of non-marine diatoms in the Antarctic Region. Since 2006 he has a permanent position as senior researcher at the Botanic Garden Meise (B) which he combines with a parttime professorship at the University of Antwerp (B). Although his main research is focused on freshwater and terrestrial diatoms, he recently got involved in an international project studying epizoic diatoms on sea turtles worldwide.

Andrea Burfeid Castellanos

Vice-president elect

University Duisburg-Essen
Universitätsstr. 2
45141 Essen
Germany

My studies have been focussed on freshwater and river diatom taxonomy and ecology, with emphasis on diatoms from intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams. My aim is to understand how the effect of drying changes diatom community structure, and to some extent, physiology. I am now going to stray a bit into the harmful algal blooms, but look forward to keep working with the intermittent rivers. I hope that, with the help of this website, Early Career Researchers will find a platform to communicate and network with fellow diatomists.

Sarah Spaulding

Past-President 2025-2027

INSTAAR
University of Colorado
Campus Box 450
Boulder, CO 80309-0450 USA

I am interested in taxonomy, paleoecology, systematic, assessment and biogeography of diatoms. My research is directed toward understanding diatom biology and the ecological roles of diatoms on the planet. I am passionate about sharing diatom taxonomy and ecology with scientists, students and the public. I currently serve as the Chair of the Editorial Review Board for collaborative, electronic, peer-reviewed flora, diatoms.org.

Ingrid Jüttner

Secretary

Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales
Department of Natural Sciences
Cathays Park
Cardiff, CF10 3NP
United Kingdom

I work as a researcher in diatoms at the Department of Natural Sciences, Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales. Diatom applications in environmental assessments of freshwaters and taxonomic, ecological and biogeographical studies of the diatom floras of Britain and Ireland, the Falkland Islands and the Himalaya are the core of my work. I am currently involved in projects on stream ecosystem restoration in England and Wales, effects of warming and pollution on freshwater ecosystems in Wales, and on lakes in the Nepalese Himalaya.

Keely Mills

Treasurer

British Geological Survey
Keyworth,
Nottinghamshire NG12 5GG, UK

Working as part of the International Team (BGS Global), my day-to-day work is diverse: undertaking geoscience research, the development, management, and execution of new integrated research to address development priorities (UN’s Sustainable Development Goals), and leading and contributing to science professionalism both within BGS and externally (ethics, and equality, diversity and inclusion). At heart I am a palaeolimnologist and diatomist whose research interests are centered on understanding the impact of people and changes in hydro-climate on water quality and quantity in tropical regions. I am currently involved in a number of projects in Uganda, Kenya, Malaysia, and Australia. As part of the ISDR I serve as Honorary Treasurer, looking after the Society’s accounts and dealing with membership subscriptions and queries.

Richard Jordan

Editor, Diatom Research

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Faculty of Science,Kojirakawa-machi 1-4-12,
Yamagata University,
Yamagata 990-8560, JAPAN

My research on fossil marine diatoms is focused on (1) taxonomy and morphology (including evolutionary trends), and (2) palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. These topics are not constrained by a particular time, space or diatom lineage – although there has been a recent shift towards Miocene studies. On the other hand, my research on living marine diatoms focuses on biogeography and ecology, notably of marine lakes and coral reefs. I have a broad interest in taxonomy, but have concentrated on Proboscia, Rhizosolenia, Paralia, Thalassiosira, Actinoptychus, and Rouxia. Apart from diatoms, some of my students are also studying haptophytes, silicoflagellates, parmales, ebridians and sponge spicules.

Carina Seitz

Council Member 2025 - 2031

Department of Biology University of Nevada, Reno and Tahoe Institute for Global Sustainability (USA)
Tahoe Institute for Global Sustainability
1072 Evans Avenue, Reno, NV 89512

I am a geologist and aquatic (paleo)ecologist passionate about understanding how aquatic ecosystems respond to climate change and human impacts. My research focuses on lakes in the Argentine Pampas and Northern Patagonia, where I use diatoms as my primary tool to reconstruct environmental change. My work bridges paleolimnology and limnology, from revealing past lake dynamics to examining how particles, including diatoms, influence water clarity in Lake Tahoe.

I have been fortunate to collaborate across countries and disciplines, from reconstructing coastal salt marshes in Florida to conducting periphyton experiments in both natural (Lake Tahoe, USA) and artificial (UBA stream system, Germany) environments. Since 2022, I have led the Publications Group of the Red de Diatomólogos Hispanohablantes, coordinating communication and collaborative publication efforts within the Spanish-speaking scientific community. Through ISDR, I aim to support early-career scientists, foster global collaboration, and promote inclusive, community-driven science.

Somayyeh Kheiri

Council Member 2025 - 2031

Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands (RIFR)
National Botanical Garden, Tehran, Iran
Postal code: 1496793612

As a researcher with  experience in Iran's diverse aquatic ecosystems, I am dedicated to advancing our understanding of diatom diversity, ecology, and their role in water quality assessment. I am the founder and curator of the diatom collection at the TARI Herbarium of the Research Institute of Forests and Rangeland (RIFR) in Iran. My primary research focus lies in the diversity and ecology of diatoms in the Alborz Mountains' springs and rivers, while also leading projects on the systematics of hypersaline diatoms across the Lut Desert, Urmia Lake, and Central Iran.

Marco Cantonati

Council Member 2022 - 2028

Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna (UniBO)
Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences (BiGeA)
Via Zamboni, 33, 40126 Bologna BO, Italy

Marco Cantonati is an environmental botanist and ecohydrogeologist, specialized in the taxonomy and ecology of benthic algae with particular attention to diatoms, included in Top Italian Scientists (TIS) and in the Stanford-University Top 2% worldwide Scientists in 'Marine Biology & Hydrobiology'. His main research interests include taxonomy and ecology of diatoms and cyanoprokaryotes, freshwater science, bioassessments and monitoring, long-term ecological research, effects of climate and environmental change, paleolimnology. After having been Section Head (Limnology & Phycology) at the MUSE – Museo delleScienze, since 2022 he is tenure-track prof at the University of Bologna.

Marco Cantonati is also an Associate Researcher at ANSP PCER Drexel University (PA, USA), earning a venia docendi (PD Prof.) in Limnology – Phycology at the University of Innsbruck. He has organized three international Congresses (Use of algae for monitoring rivers and comparable habitats 2015, 2nd Central European Diatom Meeting, 1998 Meeting of German-speaking Diatomists), and numerous special sessions at international meetings. He has published 118 articles in ISI international journals with IF, 27 book chapters or books. During his career, he discovered and described genera and species of algae (namely diatoms!) and cyanoprokaryotes new to science, and has been the lead editor of one of the most widely used diatom identification texts internationally.

Carlos Eduardo Wetzel

Council Member 2022 - 2028

Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology
ERIN – Environmental Research & Innovation Department 
41, rue du Brill
L-4422 Belvaux

A Brazilian/German botanist and a researcher at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology that has authored and co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed articles in the last 15 years dealing with the taxonomy and ecology of diatoms from rivers, lakes, soils, and marine environments. Carlos has been teaching numerous training courses on diatom taxonomy and ecology designed for biologists and technicians from public and private institutions, contributing to the continuous improvement of the European Water Framework Directive. Still, he has collaborated with many diatomists worldwide, notably in his home country Brazil. His research interests focus on using diatoms as indicators in several branches and fields of diatom research. I have been a member of the ISDR since my first participation at the symposium in Dubrovnik (Croatia) in 2008. My interest in joining the council is to keep an active and diversified community, connected, well-informed and accessible to everyone.

Jonas Zimmermann

Council Member 2022 - 2028

Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin

Jonas Zimmermann is head of the Research Group Diatoms at Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum, Freie Universität Berlin since 2019. He has many years of experience in integrative taxonomic research on the evolution and systematics of diatoms using morphological, molecular, biogeographical and phylogenetic data. Another focus of his research and work is the implementation and improvement of the usability of eDNA metabarcoding for the refined evaluation of diatom diversity and for the applied field of water quality assessment (e.g. EU WFD). This also includes the establishment and curation of a corresponding taxonomically validated reference database for diatoms. Among others, he is an expert for DIN and CEN regarding normalisation of phytobenthos monitoring in the EU WFD, specifically concerning DNA based methods. I expect becoming a member of the ISDR Council will give me the opportunity to support the very important work of the ISDR to foster all fascinating aspects of diatom research, the “diatom” community and the promotion of early career scientists.

Becky Bixby

Council Member 2023 - 2029

UNM Biology
Castetter Hall
MSC03-2020
219 Yale Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001

Becky Bixby is a Research Professor at the University of New Mexico (USA). As a freshwater diatomist, broad questions that interest Becky include: 1) What species are found on this planet?, 2) Why are species found where they are? and 3) How do species respond to environmental and biological stressors? These questions have driven her research program that utilizes diatoms as model organisms to ask broader questions about microbial biogeography and species responses to stressors, particularly in arid land ecosystems.

Kateřina Kopalová

IDS Convenor 2027

Faculty of Science - Department of ecology
Charles University
Viničná 7
Prague 2 - 128 44 Czech Republic

My research focuses on the diversity, taxonomy, ecology, and biogeography of Antarctic freshwater diatoms. I study diatom assemblages in the ice-free regions of Antarctica, examining their composition, relationships with environmental variables, and variation across freshwater, limno-terrestrial, and soil habitats. By describing new species and refining taxonomic frameworks, my work aims to establish a baseline understanding of biodiversity in these understudied and extreme polar environments. Ecological studies of diatoms in these habitats provide valuable insights into how microbial communities respond to environmental stressors, enabling us to reconstruct past environmental conditions and anticipate future ecological shifts.

I have been involved in diatom research since my early academic career. Since 2013, I have held a permanent position at Charles University in Prague, which I combine with a part-time appointment at the Department of Phycology, Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

I served as the main organizer of the European Diatom Meeting in Prague in 2017 and I will be hosting the International Diatom Symposium in 2027, which will also take place in Prague.

Jonathan Taylor

Past Convenor IDS 2025

School of Biological Sciences (Botany)
North-West University in Potchefstroom
South Africa

I work at the School of Biological Sciences (Botany) at the North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa. I curate the South African National Diatom Collection (SANDC) which is held at the NWU. The collection mostly consists of the slides and samples of Cholnoky, Schoeman and Archibald, as well as my collection dating back to 2003. I am interested in the documentation and validation of diatom taxa from South Africa as well as applications for biomonitoring. I am also working on the diatoms from the Congo and Zambezi river basins. I will be organizing the upcoming IDS meeting in South Africa in 2025.

Raquel Viso Rodríguez

Incoming Early Career Representative

Diatoms in Cryospheric Ecosystems
Department of Ecology
Charles University
Viničná 7, CZ12844, Prague

I’m a PhD student in the DiCE group at Charles University (Prague), where I study diatoms from different perspectives and across diverse Antarctic habitats. My work combines morphological and molecular approaches to better understand the diversity and structure of communities in cryosphere-associated environments — looking at the factors that shape them and how they might change in the future.

Kálmán Tapolczai

outgoing ECR Representative 2025 - 2027

Balaton Limnological Research Institute

My research interest is the diversity and ecology of benthic and planktic algal communities in freshwater habitats. I am interested in the community level response of these organisms to key anthropogenic pressures in an era of global environmental crisis. I have been studying
DNA metabarcoding as a promising molecular tool in the accurate identification of algal assemblages and its potentials in biomonitoring and ecological quality assessment.