CV

Education

• 11/2022 – ongoing
  PhD (Biology) École Pratique des Hautes Études (France) & Université Laval (Canada) ADAPTOME: Coral ADAPTation to Climate change: multi-omics analysis of host-microbiOME interactions
• 10/2014 – 09/2016
  MSc (International Studies in Tropical Marine Ecology) University of Bremen (Germany) & Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen (Germany) Thesis: Coral-algal competition indicates a negative impact of land run-off on a coral reef in Fiji
• 10/2010 – 07/2013
  BSc (Biology, focus on Marine Biology) University of Bremen (Germany) Thesis: Fouling and degradation of plastic in the sea

Professional experience

• 03/2018 – 10/2022
  Project leader & researcher HYDRA Marine Sciences GmbH, Bühl (Germany) Coordination of fieldwork and scientific diving, planning, overseeing, and executing research projects, data analysis and visualization, writing technical reports and scientific publications.

Publications

Peer-reviewed journals

1. [13] Bhalerao, A., Dueker, U., Weber, M., Eich, A., Lott, C., Lecinski, J. et al. (2025). Material Matters: Unraveling the effect of biodegradable plastic polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), conventional high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and bamboo on the bacterial community of marine eulittoral sediments. Heliyon, 11(12), e43530.
2. [12] Storm, Z., Meekan, M., Eich, A., Speed, C., Killen, S. & Lester, E. (2025). Recovery of reef shark populations invokes anti-predator behaviours in mesopredatory reef fishes on a coral reef. Journal of Animal Ecology, 94(5), 919-931.
3. [11] Brüwer, J., Sidhu, C., Zhao, Y., Eich, A., Rößler, L., Orellana, L. et al. (2024). Globally occurring pelagiphage infections create ribosome-deprived cells. Nature Communications, 15(1).
4. [10] De Vogel, F., Goudriaan, M., Zettler, E., Niemann, H., Eich, A., Weber, M. et al. (2024). Biodegradable plastics in Mediterranean coastal environments feature contrasting microbial succession. Science of The Total Environment, 928, 172288.
5. [9] Bhalerao, A., Dueker, U., Weber, M., Eich, A., Lott, C., Endres, H. et al. (2023). Bacterial diversity of biofilms on polyhydroxybutyrate exposed to marine conditions: Ex-situ vs. in-situ tests. Science of The Total Environment, 905, 167458.
6. [8] Eich, A., Weber, M. & Lott, C. (2021). Disintegration half-life of biodegradable plastic films on different marine beach sediments. PeerJ, 9, e11981.
7. [7] Lott, C., Eich, A., Makarow, D., Unger, B., Eekert, M., Schuman, E. et al. (2021). Half-Life of Biodegradable Plastics in the Marine Environment Depends on Material, Habitat, and Climate Zone. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8, 662074.
8. [6] Lott, C., Eich, A., Unger, B., Makarow, D., Battagliarin, G., Schlegel, K. et al. (2020). Field and mesocosm methods to test biodegradable plastic film under marine conditions. PLOS ONE, 15(7), e0236579.
9. [5] Saroni, A., Sciarra, A., Grassa, F., Eich, A., Weber, M., Lott, C. et al. (2020). Shallow submarine mud volcano in the northern Tyrrhenian sea, Italy. Applied Geochemistry, 122, 104722.
10. [4] Eich, A., Ford, A., Nugues, M., McAndrews, R., Wild, C. & Ferse, S. (2019). Positive association between epiphytes and competitiveness of the brown algal genus Lobophora against corals. PeerJ, 7, e6380.
11. [3] McAndrews, R., Eich, A., Ford, A., Bejarano, S., Lal, R. & Ferse, S. (2019). Algae sediment dynamics are mediated by herbivorous fishes on a nearshore coral reef. Coral Reefs, 38(3), 431-441.
12. [2] Ford, A., Eich, A., McAndrews, R., Mangubhai, S., Nugues, M., Bejarano, S. et al. (2018). Evaluation of coral reef management effectiveness using conventional versus resilience-based metrics. Ecological Indicators, 85, 308-317.
13. [1] Eich, A., Mildenberger, T., Laforsch, C. & Weber, M. (2015). Biofilm and Diatom Succession on Polyethylene (PE) and Biodegradable Plastic Bags in Two Marine Habitats: Early Signs of Degradation in the Pelagic and Benthic Zone?. PLOS ONE, 10(9), e0137201.

Chapters

1. [2] Lott, C., Eich, A. & Weber, M. (2022). Degradation of Fibrous Microplastics in the Marine Environment. In Polluting Textiles (pp. 185-213).
2. [1] Lott, C., Eich, A., Pauli, N., Mildenberger, T., Laforsch, C., Petermann, J. et al. (2018). Marine Fate of Biodegradable Plastic – Substitution Potential and Ecological Impacts. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Microplastic Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea (pp. 195-197).

Conferences

Invited talks

• 2026
  Midis des Sciences Nature et Société ADAPTOME: Coral ADAPTation to Climate change: Multi-omics analysis of host-microbiOME interactions UQAR, Rimouski (Canada)

Presented

• 2026
  8ème Édition Conférences de la Recherche en Polynésie française Talk UPF, Puna'auia (French Polynesia)
• 2025
  SECOPOL MasterDoc Talk UPF, Puna'auia (French Polynesia)
• 2021
  GreenDays – Bioplastics-Science Meets Industry Poster (best poster award) Hof (Germany, online)
• 2020
  Micro2020 – Fate and Impacts of Microplastics: Knowledge and Responsibilities Talk Lanzarote (Spain, online)
• 2019
  MicroMED – International Conference on Microplastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea Poster Capri (Italy)
• 2016
  13th International Coral Reef Symposium Talk Honolulu (USA)

Service & memberships

Peer reviewer: PeerJ, Earth's Future, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Environmental Science & Technology

Memberships: British Ecological Society, International Society for Microbial Ecology, International Coral Reef Society

Teaching

Supervision

1 MSc thesis (2024) · 1 BSc thesis (2025)

Teaching

Skills