Uppsala group

Background

I completed my Bachelor’s degree at University of Washington in Seattle USA, where I focused primarily on plant physiology and ecology. There, I developed a strong interest in fungi and moved to Sweden to pursue a Master’s degree at Uppsala University with a focus on fungal conservation. I was supervised under Anders Dahlberg and Audrius Menkis at SLU for my degree project concerning the population genetics of the rare and endangered oak fungus Hapalopilus croceus. I then continued my work as a research assistant for three years, examining young and ancient oak fungal communities following veteranisation, and deciduous endophyte communities in Norway.

Research

Currently I am working on a PhD at SLU under the supervision of Tomas Roslin, René Van Der Wal, and Mohammad Bahram that aims to examine climatic impacts on biological interactions central to plant productivity and its cascading effect throughout the arctic ecosystem. Specifically, my research focuses on how plants and their associated pollinators, fungi and bacteria are affected by arctic warming and whether accurate models can be constructed to predict consequential network changes. I am also very interested in the impact of changing ecological interaction networks on ecosystem functioning, and how it may help to shed light on rarity vs. commonness in species.

Other

I find peace and comfort in nature and spend a lot of time outdoors, engaging in urban gardening, and tending to my plants. I hold an art degree and enjoy drawing, painting, and writing music. I am also considered by many to be a vegan pizza wizard.

My background is in ethology (animal behaviour) and conservation biology, with a master’s degree from Uppsala University. I did my master thesis at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), where I studied herbivore micro habitat choice in South Africa. For the last few years I have worked as a field technician on research projects focusing on biodiversity and conservation in Canada.

At SLU in Uppsala I work as a research assistant on a biodiversity project called LIFEPLAN. There I work with data collection, sample processing, and logistics.

I spend a lot of my free time outdoors where I like to hike, ski, and explore nature reserves/national parks.