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CV

Klaus Winter

Curriculum vitae

Senior Staff Scientist
Plant Physiology Program
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
P.O. Box 0843-03092
Balboa
Republic of Panama
Tel. +507 212.8131
Fax +507 212.8148
winterk@si.edu

Research areas:

Plant Physiology, Plant Ecophysiology

Research topics:

  • Adaptation and acclimation of the photosynthetic apparatus to environmental stresses.
  • Ecology, physiology, biochemistry, and evolution of succulent plants exhibiting crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM).
  • Inhibition of photosynthesis by excess light, protective mechanisms against excess light (e.g. xanthophyll cycle).
  • Carbon, water and ionic relationships of halophytes.
  • Regulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase.
  • C4 photosynthesis.
  • 13C discrimination.
  • Ecophysiology of tropical trees, epiphytes, gap and understory plants.
  • Responses of tropical plants to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

Academic qualifications, awards, positions held:

  • (1972) Staatsexamen in Biology and Chemistry, Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany.
  • (1972-75) Doctoral fellowship, Technical University of Darmstadt.
  • (1975) Dr. rer. nat., graded summa cum laude, Botany Institute, Technical University of Darmstadt; U. Lüttge’s lab.
  • (1975-77) Research Scientist (Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter, supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [German Grant Committee]), Botany Institute, Technical University of Darmstadt.
  • (1978-79, two years) Postdoctoral fellow with C.B. Osmond, Department of Environmental Biology, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
  • (1980, one year) Postdoctoral research associate with G.E. Edwards, Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
  • (1981-83) Habilitation Fellowship given by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft,Botany Institute, University of Würzburg, Germany.
  • (1981) Heinz-Maier-Leibnitz-Prize given by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Science for research in photosynthesis.
  • (1983) Dr. rer. nat. habil., Habilitation in Botany, Faculty of Biology, University of Würzburg.
  • (1983) Heisenberg Fellowship given by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Botany Institute, University of Würzburg.
  • (1985) Professor of Botany (C 3), Faculty of Biology, University of Würzburg.
  • (1989/90) Offered, but declined position of Full Professor (C 4) in Botany/Physiological Ecology, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
  • Staff Scientist since 1991, Senior Staff Scientist since 1998, Plant Physiology Program, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Republic of Panama.
  • (2002) Highly cited researcher in the category Plant & Animal Science according to ISIHighlycited.com