Maarja Öpik

Maarja Öpik

University of Tartu, Estonia New Phytologist Editor-in-Chief New Phytologist Foundation Trustee

Keynote speaker at New Phytologist next generation scientists 2025
Mentor - 2026 New Phytologist next generation scientists
Organising committee - Editor-in-Chief Symposium 2025 and 2026

Research interests

  • Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and soil biota
  • Role of land use in shaping soil diversity
  • Biodiversity databasing
  • Soil biota
  • Sustainable land management
  • Ecosystem restoration

Biography

Maarja has served as a member of New Phytologist's editorial board since 2013 and is a professor of Molecular Ecology and Director of the Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences at the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Tartu, Estonia.

Maarja's research addresses the interactions between plants and mycorrhizal fungi, with specific focus on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity patterns. Maarja pioneered one of the first public databases in the field, MaarjAM (Öpik et al., 2010), which is now widely used as a tool for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal identification and in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus ecological research.

Related News and Events

Editor-in-Chief Symposium

Microbes as hidden or prominent players in plant life

New Phytologist Editor-in-Chief Symposium

Recordings of selected talks now available to view on demand.

8 July 2025 1:00pm - 10 July 2025 2:00pm
Tartu, Estonia
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text reads "New Phytologist next generation scientists" over a image of the university of birmingham clock tower against a blue sky

Event: Next generation scientists

New Phytologist next generation scientists 2025

Watch the recorded talks and panel discussions

4 August 2025 1:00pm - 7 August 2025 3:00pm
University of Birmingham, UK
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2026 New Phytologist Editor-in-Chief Symposium

Collections through time: legacy and innovation

Our annual New Phytologist Editor-in-Chief Symposium was held on Friday, 3 July 2026, at the University of Tartu, home institution of New Phytologist’s Editor-in-Chief, Maarja Öpik.

Thank you to all who attended and contributed towards the success of the symposium.

3 July 2026
Oecologicum, University of Tartu, Estonia
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