22 May 2026

Photo: David Drewes Privat

On the 17th of April, David Drewes has successfully completed his PhD thesis with the title "Recruitment of the European Smelt in a Changing Estuary – An Individual-based Modelling Assessment of Environmental Drivers, Climate Change and Management Implications in the Elbe Estuary."

The research explored how environmental factors such as temperature, oxygen levels, and increasing human pressures affect the early life stages of the European smelt in the Elbe estuary. Using an individual-based modelling approach, changes in these factors were translated into biological parameters such as growth rates. The findings reveal how the combination of unfavourable conditions may shape the future of the smelt population in the Elbe.

The dissertation was supervised by Prof. Corinna Schrum (Hereon), Dr Ute Daewel (Hereon), and Dr Thomas Pohlmann (Universität Hamburg), who also served as Panel Chair.

David plans to remain in academia and is currently working on a research proposal for future funding — while remaining open to new challenges and interesting opportunities.

We congratulate Dr. David Drewes on this academic achievement and wish him all the best for the next chapter!