Lena Muffler-Weigel is interested in global change and the effects of extreme weather events (winter cold, spring frost, heat and drought) on forest ecosystems. In her PhD studies at the University of Greifswald (Germany) she focused on the in situ responses of European beech (i.e. local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity) to environmental changes by applying a combination of various methods such as ecological experiments and dendroecology. As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Göttingen (Germany), she is studying the above- and below-ground responses of European deciduous tree species to environmental changes, as well as to pest infestations (e.g. by the oak processionary moth). Her area of expertise is experimental plant ecology, dendroecology, and root science.