WETZEL Carlos

About

I am a diatomologist and freshwater ecologist at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), leading research within the Biodiversity Monitoring and Assessment group. Over 15 years at LIST, my work has focused on diatom taxonomy, bioindication, and freshwater ecology, spanning from the Amazon to Antarctica, and primarily European rivers and lakes. I have described approximately 460 taxa new to science and 23 new genera, co-authoring over 240 peer-reviewed publications with 288+ collaborators. Today, our Belvaux laboratory is an internationally recognised reference centre for diatom research. A significant part of my applied research supports the Water Framework Directive (WFD) by refining diatom-based biomonitoring methodologies. In Luxembourg, I assess ecological water quality using benthic diatoms and lead projects evaluating metabarcoding-based phytobenthos reporting—enabling high-throughput, reproducible biodiversity assessments. I also deliver annual diatom intercalibration training for agencies across France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg, harmonising index applications across national borders. My current research focuses on soil diatoms as bioindicators of land use, and AI-assisted deep-learning tools for automated taxonomic identification of microscopy images. I also serve as Taxonomic Editor for Bacillariophyceae on DiatomBase, curator of the Diat.barcode open-access library, and hold an Accredited Doctoral Supervisor mandate at the University of Luxembourg.

Skills and expertise

• Diatom Taxonomy & Systematics
• Freshwater biomonitoring and bioindication (Water Framework Directive support)
• Scanning electron microscopy, confocal microscopy and light microscopy
• DNA metabarcoding and curation of open-access barcode reference libraries
• AI-assisted and deep-learning-based taxonomic identification of microorganisms from microscopy images

Projects

• DIACODE: Status of diatom barcode databases for improved assessments in DNA metabarcoding for WFD phytobenthos reporting in Luxembourg
• BIOINDIC-IA: Deep learning for automatic image-based biomonitoring of aquatic ecosystems
• DiaBase4WFD: Diatom DNA barcoding: setting the baseline for implementing metabarcoding in Luxembourg in the context of the EU Water Framework Directive