Function and Responsibilities:

Scientific interests

• Palaeoclimatology and palaeoecology of the Holocene
• Ecophysiology of trees
• Multiple tree-ring parameters as palaeo-archives
• Quantitative and qualitative wood anatomy of trees
• Stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in tree rings

 

Career

• 2018 PD in Geographie, Humboldt-Universität Berlin
• 2017 Habilitation in Geographie, Humboldt-Universität Berlin, "The usefulness of stable isotopes and wood anatomy in dendrochronology", Chair: Christoph Schneider
• 2005 PhD in Resource Management and Environmental Science, School of Resources, Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Doctoral-thesis: "Dendroclimatology of Toona ciliata", Chair: John C.G. Banks
• 1998 Diploma (MSc) in Geography, Department of Geography, University of Bonn Diploma-thesis: "Biogeographical studies within the ecotone between rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest in tropical NE-Queensland, Australia", Chair: Winfried Golte
• 1990-1998 Study of Geography, with minor subjects Biology, Geodesy, Cartography and Photogrammetry at the University of Bonn, Germany

 

Experience

• since 2020 Head of Dendrochronology at the German Archaeology Institute Berlin-Dahlem (https://www.dainst.org)
• since 2020 Visiting Scientist at GFZ
  
• 2009-2020 Research scientist/postdoc at GFZ Potsdam
• 2006-2008 Research scientist/postdoc, Institute of Chemistry and Dynamics of the Geosphere, Research Centre Jülich, Germany, (EU-project MILLENNIUM)
• 2003-2006 Research scientist/postdoc, Department of Geography, University of Fribourg, Switzerland (SNSF project “Geomorphology and Wood Anatomy”)
• 2000-2003 PhD Student, School of Resources, Environment & Society, Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, Australia; Coordinator of the ANU Forestry Graduate Seminar and Discussion Series
• 1998-1999 DAAD postgraduate research, School of Tropical Environment Studies and Geography, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia; Project on dendropyro-chronological analysis of Eucalypts in Queensland, Australia - Reconstruction of fire history using nutrient signals in tree-rings, funded by the DAAD
• 1996-1998 Part-time employee with ecoTech Bonn, Germany
• 1996 Student research assistant, Department of Geohydrology, University of Bonn, Germany
• 1995 Student research assistant, CSIRO Tropical Forest Research Centre, Atherton, Australia; Biogeographical survey within the wet sclerophyll forest of Queensland
• 1994 Student research assistant, School of Tropical Environment Studies and Geography, James Cook University & CRC TREM, Cairns, Australia; development of a high-resolution digital elevation model for a forested area of the Australian Wet Tropics

 

Professional Affiliations

• 2015-2020 Member of the national scientific TERENO steering committee
• 2006-2012 Board Member of the Association for Tree-Ring Research (ATR)
• Since 2005 Member of the International Association of Wood Anatomists (IAWA)
• Since 2004 Member of the Association for Tree-Ring Research (ATR)
• 2002-2006 Member of the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Accounting, Canberra, Australia (CRC GA)
• 1994-2006 Member of the CRC for Tropical Rainforest Ecology & Management, Cairns, Australia (CRC TREM)

 

Research grants and awards 

• 2019       Climate dynamics during the late Holocene derived from cell structure measurements of juniper trees in the eastern Mediterranean, DFG
• 2019       Urban Dendroecology, Helmholtz-Initiative Climate Adaptation and Mitigation
• 2014       Climate dynamics of the last Millennium derived from cell structures, DFG
• 2005       EU SYNTHESYS Project Research Grant
• 2003       Swiss National Research Grant, SNSF
• 2002       Postgraduate Research Grant, CRC for Greenhouse Accounting
• 2000       International PhD Scholarship, Australian National University
• 2000       International Postgraduate Research Scholarship, Australia
• 2000       Postgraduate Scholarship, German Academic Exchange Service DAAD
• 1998       Postgraduate Scholarship, German Academic Exchange Service DAAD