University Education and degrees:
2009: Diploma Biology (with distinction):
Department of Plant Ecology and Systematics, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany. Advisor: Burkhard Büdel
2014: Dr. rer. nat. (summa cum laude)
Department of Plant Ecology and Systematics, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany. Advisor: Burkhard Büdel. Thesis title: Biological soil crusts in continental Antarctica: their occurrence, diversity and performance.
Working experience:
2019-present Lecturer in Physiological Plant Ecology at the School of GeoSciences. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
2017 – 2019: Postdoctoral research fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at the Swedish University of Agricultural Science in Umeå, Sweden. Advisor: Vaughan Hurry
2014 – 2017: Lecturer/ Postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Plant Ecology and Systematics. University of Kaiserslautern, Germany. Advisor: Burkhard Büdel.
2008 – 2009: Teaching assistant at the Department of Plant Ecology and Systematics. University of Kaiserslautern, Germany. Advisor: Rainer Wirth.
Grants:
2020: BES small research grant (£5000)
2019: Lmic Travel and Partnership grant (£ 5000)
2019: Research equipment grant for PAM Chlorophyll fluorometer (£ 3500)
2017: Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship from the The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation promotes academic cooperation and offers personally tailored sponsorship. Their fellowships allow work on a self-created research project, that is designed with a host and collaborative partner abroad. The Feodor Lynen Fellowship is highly competitive and cofinanced by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Germany. The title of my project is: “Thermal acclimation potential of respiration and photosynthesis across lichens and grasses” and my selected host institute is the Swedish University of Agricultural Science in Umeå, Sweden. 71.000 €)
2016: Travel grant from the British Lichen Society (BLS) for participation on the 8th IAL Symposium. Helsinki, Finland (400 €)
2015: TU Nachwuchsring Individual Funding to actively promote the visibility of young scholars in support of applications for outside funding (10.000€)
2013: Travel grant from the Association of Polar early carrier scientists (APECS) for participation on the International Polar Year Conference 2012 in Montreal, Canada (800 €)
2013: Travel grant by the German academic exchange service (DAAD) for participation on the International Polar Year Conference 2012 in Montreal, Canada (1200 €)
2009: Scholarship of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation for undergraduate study funding.
Awards:
2015: Award for excellent doctoral thesis of the Faculty of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Professional and University Service:
2011 – 2017: member in the Senate panel of the University of Kaiserslautern
2013 – 2017: Radiation safety officer at the Department of Plant Ecology and Systematics. University of Kaiserslautern
2016: Co-Convener for the Session SSS4.14 (Biological soil crusts: their functional roles across spatial scales) of the EGU General Assembly 2016
2010: Organization assistant for the first International Soil Crust Conference in Zellingen-Retzbach, Germany
2010: Training course: INCA – energy dispersive analysis with an electron microscope
2014 – present: Reviewer for Ecology and Evolution (4), Plant, Cell and Environment (1), Oecologia (1), Polar Biology (5), Biogeochemistry (1), Biogeosciences (2) PLOS One (1) and others.
Professional memberships:
German Polar Society (DGP)
British Lichen Society (BLS)
Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society (SPPS)
Association of polar early career scientists (APECS)
British Ecological Society (BES)
Botanical Society of Scotland
Presentation at Scientific meetings:
2010: First International Soil Crust Conference; Zellingen-Retzbach, Germany.
2010: 24. International Polar Meeting, Obergurgl, Austria. Talk
2012: International Polar Year Conference, Montreal, Canada. Talk
2013: Second International Soil Crust Conference, Madrid, Spain. Talk
2014: SCAR conference, Auckland, New Zealand. Poster
2014: SCAR conference, Auckland, New Zealand. Talk
2015: 26. International Polar Meeting, Munich, Germany. Talk
2016: 8th IAL Symposium, Helsinki, Finland. Talk
2016: BioCrust3 meeting, Moab, USA. Talk.
2018: SCAR conference, Davos, Switzerland. Talk and Poster.
