I am a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. In February of 2018 is finished my Ph.D. in Geography at the University of Oklahoma and the South Central Climate Science Center. And before coming to the U.S. in 2012, I studied geography, meteorology, and cartography at Dresden University of Technology in Germany and graduated with a masters degree equivalent in 2011.

I grew up on a family farm in eastern Germany, which early on gave me an appreciation for nature and rural life. Working on cattle and sheep farms in Australia, I learned the vulnerability of agriculture to drought, heat, and other unseasonal conditions. I studied physical geography and meteorology to learn more about how weather and climate affect the natural resources we depend on. My Ph.D. research was intended to help farmers cope with increasingly extreme seasonal weather and climate. My postdoctoral work takes a long-term look at how climate change impacts cattle production in the U.S. Great Plains and explores how ranchers can adapt their practices to maintain their livelihoods.

Communicating science to non-scientists has always been a passion of mine. While studying in Germany, I worked as a freelance photographer and writer for newspapers and news agencies, covering human interest stories, science, and academia. In 2012, I co-founded the Early Career Climate Forum, an online forum and blog connecting graduate students and early-career professional working in areas related to climate science. I am on the ECCF editorial board and a contributing blogger.