About

Research interests

  • Fish ecology
  • Ethohydraulics
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Aquatic Invasive Species
  • Aquaculture

My research project

I investigate the swimming behaviour of fish in response to critical flow in my current research project. With video records of fish swimming through the flow and PIV velocity measurements analysed using modern machine learning approaches, I aim at understand how fish adapt their swimming routes to the hydraulic environment. The project aims at creating evidence that supports the development of river restoration measures adapted to the hydraulic requirements of specific target species. This should allow the adaptation of river restoration measures to the need of the aquatic community of the corresponding ecosystem.

Employment

PostDoc in Karlstad

I work as a Postdoc at Karlstad University, Sweden, since 09/2024.

PostDoc in Southampton

I worked as a Postdoc at the University of Southampton, United Kingdom, from 02/2023 to 08/2024. My research was focused on understanding fish swimming patterns in critical flow. The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).

PostDoc in Basel

I worked as a PostDoc at the MGU, University of Basel, Switzerland, from 01/2022 until 01/2023. My research was focused on management of invasive fish, analysis of swimming behaviour of fish and invertebrates using Artificial Intelligence. My teaching activities include the 'Tools and Methods' seminar, the 'Critical Reading' seminar, and the organization of the 'MSD Life Science Kolloquium' of the Master of Sustainable Development.

PhD student

I began with my dissertation in December 2017 and defended successfully on 6th January 2022. In my thesis, I bridged different disciplines and combined hydraulics, physics, and aquatic ecology to explore the factors that determine passage of different benthic fish species across river obstacles. Beside basic research evidence, I assessed the performance of a hydraulic, protective barrier to prevent upstream passage of the invasive round goby, while allowing passage of native species, such as gudgeon and bullhead. The prototype hydraulic barrier has been installed in a real fish pass already. The thesis was supervised by Prof. Dr. Patricia Holm, Prof. Dr. Peter Huggenberger, and Prof. Dr. Jost Borcherding as external expert.

Education

M.Sc. Aquaculture and Sea Ranching

I studied Aquaculture and Sea Ranching at the University of Rostock, Germany, from 2015 to 2017. My Master thesis entitled ‘About the feeding ecology of the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus Pallas, 1814)’ was performed at the Thuenen-Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries under supervision of Dr. Daniel Oesterwind.

B.Sc. Biology

I studied Biology at the Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany, from 2012 to 2015. My Bachelor thesis entitled ‘Construction of an aquatic system for incubation of cod (Gadus morhua) and lumpsucker (Cyclopterus lumpus) eggs with documentation of their development’ was supervised by Prof. Dr. Christopher Bridges.

Presentations

Improving fish pass design via understanding fish swimming patterns in challenging flow

Joschka Wiegleb, Andrew S. Vowles, Melike Kurt, Paul Kemp (2024) International Symposium on Ecohydraulics and Fish Passage, Québec, Canada

Holistic management of the invasive round goby in Switzerland

Joschka Wiegleb (2022) WKSTARGATE ICES workshop to assess the potential economic use of round goby and stickleback in the Baltic Sea, Copenhagen, Denmark

3D-forces in current experienced by the round goby and two native benthic fish species during fish pass passage

Joschka Wiegleb, Philipp E. Hirsch, Frank Seidel, Patricia Burkhardt-Holm (2020) Goby meeting in Starnberg, Germany

Integration of the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) into the coastal ecosystem of the Western Baltic Sea

Daniel Oesterwind, Bock C., Förster A., Michael Gabel, Christina Henseler, Paul Kotterba, Menge M., Myts D., Helmut Winkler, Joschka Wiegleb (2017) Conference BONUS Symposium, Thallinn, Estonia

Outreach activities

Wissenschaftsapéro

The round goby research group presents yearly research results to the local stakeholder community. November 2018, 2019, 2020, June 2022

CV and Publication list