Doctoral researchers

Doctoral researchers working in the Ecosystem processes community.

Our doctoral researchers:

Lukas Bornholdt

Forest management options in sustainable forestry

I study how different forest management options affect wooden plants physiology, soils, microbes, and their interactions in boreal forests. The aim is to draw conclusions on how different forest management options affect the resilience of boreal forests to climate change in order to ensure a sustainable forestry in the future.

  • Viikki, B building room 321
Mengqi Cao

Forest phenotyping  study based on multi-source remote sensing

I completed my MSc in University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, where my thesis focused on mapping grassland canopy cover in China through the integration of extensive drone imagery and satellite data. My PhD study focus on drone remote sensing and multispectral remote sensing.

Wen Gao

Mapping global forest wind disturbances, Wind disturbance under climate change

Magdalena Held

Tree ecophysiology, xylem anatomy, xylem formation

I am investigating how xylem conduits and interconduit pits scale with distance from the treetop, and if site conditions can influence the scaling patterns. Furthermore, I am studying the intra-annual dynamics of xylem formation (i.e. wood growth).

 

Aiwei Huang

I am a PhD student focusing on forest soils and climate change. My current project is about the effects of passive soil warming on soil microbial communities and their functions. To explore this, I compared two passive warming experiments across a latitudinal gradient and an elevation gradient using a long-term soil transport study.

Jonathan Holder

Disturbance modelling, Modelling effects of pre- and post-disturbance forest management, Forest structure & carbon balance
 

Donggyu Kam

Tree ecophysiology, hydraulic conductance, root systems, drought stress

I am now focusing on the hydraulic conductance of the Scots pine root system, especially effects of the root length on hydraulic properties. In addition, i will cover the implication of hydraulic conductance of the root systems for the distribution of soil water and modeling draught.

Atte Kumpu
Che Liu

Xylem, nutrition, tree growth modelling

Focused on the height growth decline of old-growth trees, my research centralizes on the hydraulic dynamics and nutrition conditions of the predominant tree species of Finland. Both field measurements and laboratory means are employed in my studies, yet in mathematics I the most trust.

Xuhui Luo

I am a doctoral student that is focusing soil microbial carbon. my current reseach is to determine the effect of drought and microplastics on soil microbial cabon use efficiency, thus lead a lesser formation of stable carbon from microbial residues, and finally affect the boreal agricultural soil carbon storage. Additionally, I am intersted in does the improved nitrogen avilibality may mitigate the adverse effect of drought and microplastics.

Aleksanteri Mauranen

Stomatal control, tree water relations and photosynthesis modelling.

My PhD project focuses on the theory of stomatal control and gas exchange in trees. I've been developing a new theoretical framework for stomatal control functions and trying it out using the land surface model JSBACH. I'm also part of the micrometeorology group at INAR / Physics.

 

Iiro Miettinen

Remote sensing of photosynthesis 

My MSc thesis focuses on remote sensing optical signals of two species of saplings in response to drought or heat stress. My research is based on a project that explores the potential relationship between BVOC emissions and optical signals and the factors controlling it.

Tuuli-Maaret Miettunen

My PhD project focuses on energy partitioning in and between photosystems I and II during light reactions.  To understand the variability spatial (e.g. species, environmental conditions) factors cause to these mechanisms in daily and seasonal scale, I will perform optical and gas-exchange measurements both in field and laboratory conditions.

  • Viikki, B-building room 310
Gonzalo de Quesada Alzamora

My research project focuses on the biogeochemical and biophysical feedbacks from forest harvesting. More specifically I study the impact of forest management in tree physiology and the tree-soil interactions in different soil conditions. 

 

Joanna Victoria Simms

Ecosystem modelling

I am a doctoral student that is interested in ecosystem modelling. My current project is to mathematically model the transfer between mycorrhiza and pine trees using game theory, optimisation and values from literature, along with the University of Helsinki Forest Modelling group. This will allow us to look at strategies in interspecies relationships, as well as adding more realistic nitrogen limitations to ecosystem models. 

Manqing Tian
Fucheng Wang (visiting researcher)

Phenology, plant dormancy, tree ecophysiology, modeling 

I'm a doctoral student that is interested in plant phenology. During my PhD, I'm exploring the differences in plant dormancy along latitude (from boreal to subtropical zones) by conducting experiments and modeling works.

Mianzhi Wang

Tree hydraulics, water and carbon transport in trees

My research focuses on tree hydraulics and aims to understand the physiological mechanisms of water and carbon transport in trees. During my PhD, I am exploring various aspects of tree physiology, including sap flow, stem radial growth, source-sink relationships, and more.

Jie Xu

Tree root growth, morphology and rhizosphere microbiology

My main topic is to study how forest managements and climate changes affect tree root growth, morphology and rhizosphere microbiology. In addition, I will study the interaction between root and rhizosphere microorganisms.

  • +358 456685479
  • Viikki, B building, room K115
Alessandro Zanetti

Climate change, tree ecophysiology 

My research focuses on how the changing climate affects wintertime physiology of trees. Particularly I am currently studying the effect of freezing and thawing on trees and the future  concenquences of global warming in the northern forests.

ORCID: 0000-0003-1351-4150

 

Yuwen Zhang

Plant drought resilience

My research interests lie in plant physiology and forest ecology. I started my advantage in plant water relations during my master’s study, where I investigated the influence of soil water/nutrient availabilities on the long-distance hydraulic pathway. My PhD project centered on plant drought resilience, with an emphasis on carbon- and hydraulic-related physiological processes.

Xin Zhuang

Drought impacts on plant phloem physiology

I am working as a doctoral student on the physiology of phloem transport. Particularly, I want to study how stress impact carbon and water fluxes inside plant individuals. Previously I worked on provenance/inheritance based plant trait variation and plant invasion physiology. I am generally interested in plant sciences, ecology, biogeography and paleontology.