Environmental Change Research Unit - ECRU

PhD, Laura Forsström - Post-doc researcher

My main interests of research are related to primary producers and dissolved organic matter in arctic and subarctic lakes. At the moment (2011-2013) I have a three year position as an Academy of Finland Postdoctoral Research Fellow. My post doc project is dealing with combined effects of environmental stressors (mainly elevated temperature and DOM) on benthic and pelagic algae and bacteria in subarctic lakes. My fieldwork will cover three geographical areas, Kilpisjärvi in NW Finnish Lapland, Tiksi in NE Siberia, and Kuujjuarapik in N-Quebec. In addition to working with primary producers and bacteria, I will continue to work with DOM spectroscopy of arctic and subarctic freshwaters.

I defended my Ph.D. thesis about the phytoplankton ecology of subarctic lakes in Finnish Lapland in December 2006. During my Ph.D. work I was involved in two consecutive EU projects, MOLAR and EMERGE, and MUTUAL (Multiproxy approach to estimate changes in UV exposure in arctic lakes), funded by the Academy of Finland. At the end part of my Ph.D. years and beginning of post doc my focus shifted from phytoplankton ecology more towards the analysis of DOM and its effects on lake production. During 2008-2010 I worked as a post doc in University of Jyväskylä, in a project dealing with carbon and energy flows in high-latitude water bodies, run by Academy Research Fellow Milla Rautio. In 2009 I spent 6 months at University of Copenhagen, Section for Freshwater Biology and also got the opportunity to do fieldwork in Zackenberg Research Station, NE Greenland.

Since 2007 I have acted as a secretary of the Finnish Phytoplankton Society. I am also involved in the work of  FEMG (Freshwater Expert Monitoring Group), belonging to CBMP (Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program). I also enjoy teaching, especially in field courses organized in the beautiful and lovely surroundings of Kilpisjärvi Biological Station. During summer 2011 I will teach at both Art&Science workshop (http://bioartsociety.fi/archives/category/artscience-tyopaja-kilpisjarvella-arktiset-vedet) and Arctic Limnology field course (http://www.helsinki.fi/ymparistotieteet/opiskelu/akvaattiset_tieteet/opetus.html), organized together with University of Jyväskylä.

Publications

Contact:

Laura Forsström
Department of Environmental Sciences
Division of Aquatic Sciences / ECRU
P.O. Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1)
FIN-00014 University of Helsinki,
FINLAND
Phone: +358-9-191 57 838
Fax: +358-9-191 57 788
E-mail: forename.surname@helsinki.fi