I combine my interests in biology, ecology and geography to study plant-environment relationships across space and time. My particular focus lies on harsh environments, such as the alpine and Arctic tundra, and on how the vegetation interacts with small-scale climatic conditions (microclimate). In my current project, I am investigating potential microrefugia for cold-adapted alpine plant species across mountains worldwide, to answer research questions like: Which areas in the heterogeneous alpine environment have warmed more slowly? Is there a pattern that could help design targeted conservation strategies? Have these potential microrefugia actually helped alpine specialist plants to persist better under recent climatic warming? Besides, other research interests of mine include the effects of vegetation changes on microclimate patterns across scales, the role of plant functional traits in mediating ecosystem responses to global change, and community ecology across natural gradients.

If you would like to know more, please have a look at my personal website or get in touch!