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I am a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology at Texas A&M University, where I study the impacts of climate change on cattle production in the U.S. Great Plains.
I am passionate about conducting collaborative, actionable research and work to advance our ability to adapt to climate change through my own research, as well as science education, communication, and advocacy. I grew up in rural eastern Germany, and before moving to the U.S. in 2012 for my doctoral research, I graduated with a master of science equivalent in geography (Diplom-Geograf), minoring in meteorology and cartography, from Dresden University of Technology. Growing up on a family farm gave me an early start into agriculture and an appreciation for nature and rural life. I traveled extensively throughout Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia, and experienced how vulnerable agriculture is to drought and heat while working on cattle and sheep ranches in Australia. During graduate school in Germany I discovered photography and journalism as a way to tell stories. As freelance writer and photographer, I pitched and reported stories on science, sports, and human interest, which were published regionally and nationally. As sports editor of a student publication, I was in charge of staff management, page planning, copy editing, and reviewing. I exhibited my travel photography from southern Africa and Nepal in shows in Dresden and Berlin, and contributed to exhibitions in Switzerland and the U.S. My dissertation combined my interests in applied research and science communication, as did the Early Career Climate Forum, an online platform I co-founded in 2012, that provides career resources and connects graduate students and young professionals in climate-related research. I am an editorial board member and contributed blog posts, for example interviews with Katharine Hayhoe and Bill Hooke and articles about communicating science to middle-schoolers, drought decision making on ranches, and designing online surveys and conference posters. I currently host the ECCF podcast and manage ECCF's social media presence on Twitter and Facebook. |
