Function and Responsibilities:

I am a PhD student in section 3.5: Interface Geochemistry working on glacier ice algae. My project is part of the European Research Council Synergy Grant DEEP PURPLE Darkening of the Greenland Ice Sheet, which looks at physical and microbial processes that play a role in darkening the Greenland Ice Sheet, thereby influencing the melting and accelerating sea level rise. Due to their purple to brown pigmentation, glacier ice algae are one of the factors that turn the ice sheet darker. In their habitat, these microorganisms are adapted to extremely harsh conditions, including very high light intensities in the summer, total darkness and cold in the winter and a limitation in nutrients. I am using field sampling as well as laboratory experiments to elucidate the effect of light and nutrient stress on the glacier ice algae.

Career:

Research Assistant (04/2024 - 12/2024): Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Denmark, Arctic microbiology working group

Student assistant (08/2023 - 03/2024): Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Denmark, Arctic microbiology working group

Internship (01/2023 - 02/2023): Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Potsdam, Germany, High-latitude biodiversity group

Student assistant (12/2021 - 12/2022): Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, University of Oldenburg, Benthic microbiology working group

Education:

M.Sc. Microbiology (10/2021 - 04/2024), University of Oldenburg, Germany

    Thesis at Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Denmark (05/2023 – 03/2024)

    Title: Microbial degradation of different carbon compounds and their impact on the microbial cryoconite community on the Greenland ice sheet

B.Sc. Molecular Biomedicine (10/2017 - 03/2021), University of Bonn, Germany