Celine Sayde, formely a research assistant at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), is joining SAGE as a PhD fellow at the University of Tübingen. Her work at ICARDA focused on crop wild relatives, plant taxonomy, and ecological data analysis, supported by extensive field experience across Lebanon. She contributed to national efforts to survey, collect, and characterize Fabaceae and Poaceae diversity and to develop predictive distribution maps for conservation planning. Her technical background includes laboratory methods, seed and trait characterization, micropropagation of medicinal plants, and quality control in agricultural production systems. Celine holds Master’s degrees in Agricultural Engineering (Plant Production) and Applied Plant Biotechnology from the Lebanese University.
Her PhD project under Prof. Dr. Katja Tielbörger at University of Tübingen will focus on identifying ecological tipping points in the rangelands of the Jordan River region under the combined pressures of climate change and land‑use intensification. Using long‑term drought and grazing manipulation experiments, the project examines how soil properties and biodiversity (fauna and flora) respond to increasing stress. The goal is to determine which ecological characteristics can serve as reliable early‑warning indicators of impending regime shifts, supporting the development of evidence‑based management strategies for sustaining rangeland functioning in a changing climate.