Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, Germany

My research interests

As an analytical chemist, I am specialized in the detection of organic trace compounds by tandem mass spectrometry and interested in secondary metabolites of algae and chemical signalling of plankton in marine chemical ecology. Furthermore, I am specialized in the detection of phycotoxins, including development of new detection techniques, implementation of advanced LC-MS/MS methods on-board ship and search and discovery of new algal toxins as well as their producing organisms.

How is my work linked to the Beagle Channel area?

Within DYNAMO I will investigate, together with plankton specialists, the contribution of harmful algal bloom (HAB) species in plankton communities and the occurrence of their associated phycotoxins in the Beagle Channel. This work will setup a baseline for prediction of potential shift of plankton composition towards higher proportions of toxic species under a global warming scenario and their impact on the marine food web.