Expeditions and contributions to international research projects:

Arctic and Antarctic tundra: Research stay at Livingston Island, Antarctica (2015; 2018);  Research stay at Ny-Ålesund, Arctic Svalbard (2016);

Cold desert: Field Research Northern Victoria Land and Dry Valleys (Cape hallett, Botany Bay, Taylor valley, 2019); Field research in the Dry Valleys, Victoria Land, Antarctica (2009/10)

Hot desert: Research assistant during field trip to South-Africa (2009); Research stay at Almeria badlands, southern Spain (2014)

Temperate environments: Research stay at the high alpine Hochtor, the Grossglockner, the Austrian Alps and Several research sites where biological soil crusts become important due to human impact in Europe (Germany, Sweden).

Tropical forest:  Mangrove-forest restoration project in Ecuador (2006)

Projects:

2009 – 2013:      NZtabs – New Zealand Terrestrial Antarctic Biocomplexity Survey (Coordinator: Allan Green, Craig Cary both University Waikato, New Zealand)

2012 – 2015:      Soil Crusts International (SCIN): Understanding and valuing biological soil crusts: protection of disturbed and open land surfaces (Coordinator: Burkhard Büdel, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany, Allan Green, University of Waikato, New Zealand).

2015 – 2017:     The POLARCRUST project: valuation of the biodiversity of eukaryotic green microalgae and cyanobacteria in biological soil crusts from the Antarctic Peninsula and Arctic Svalbard (Coordinator: Burkhard Büdel, University of Kaiserslautern, Ulf Karsten, University of Rostock, Burkhard Becker, University of Cologne, Germany)

2017 – present: CRYPTOCOVER: Biocomplexity and functioning of the cryptogamic cover in arid and polar regions (Coordinator: Leopoldo Sancho, Universidad Complutense Spain)

2018 – present: Resilience in Antarctic biota and ecosystems (Coordinators: Craig Cary, Charlie Lee, University of Waikato, New Zealand)