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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 to improve our ability to adapt to a changing world. Often, research is conducted in academic silos and disconnected from the real world. But especially in our field of climate change adaptation, we need to collaborate with stakeholders and peers from other fields to achieve practicable outcomes that fit the needs of real-world decision making. I work to advance our ability to adapt to climate change through my own research, as well as through education and advocacy. In February of 2018 I defended my dissertation in Geography at the University of Oklahoma. And before coming to the U.S. in 2012, I graduated with a master of science equivalent in geography, minoring in meteorology and cartography, from Dresden University of Technology in Germany. Growing up on a family farm in former East Germany gave me an early appreciation for nature and rural life. Working on cattle and sheep farms in Outback Australia, I continued to learn how vulnerable agriculture is to drought, heat, and flooding. While studying geography, I discovered photography and journalism as a way to tell stories and for five years, I worked as reporter for local and regional newspapers, wrote stories and interviews that were published regionally and nationally. As a photographer, I had exhibitions in Germany, and contributed to exhibitions in Switzerland and in the U.S. In 2012, shortly after starting my Ph.D., I combined my interests in research and journalism and co-founded the Early Career Climate Forum, an online platform connecting graduate students and young professionals working in areas related to climate science. I am an editorial board member and have written over a dozen blog posts, for example interviews with Katharine Hayhoe and Bill Hooke and articles on designing online surveys and conference posters. |
