  I am currently a Helmholtz Young Investigator Fellow at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) in
Leipzig, Germany. My research focuses on biogeochemical processes in the rhizospheres of crops and phytoremediating plants when stressed with metallic soil contaminants and a shifting climate. I investigate biogeochemical changes that occur at the micrometer scale in the rhizosphere to explain macroscopic outcomes of plant productivity and quality. My goal is to contribute to advancing sustainable agriculture, which is key to the global challenge of food security.
News:
June/July 2020
May 2020
As of May 2020 I will be a Helmholtz Young Investigator Group Leader at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany. I am extremely stoked to be working with the Environmental Microbiology Department. The project I am funded for is called RhizoThreats: Rhizosphere Adaptation to Coupled Climate and Heavy Metal Threats April 2020
 Our work on climate impacts on arsenic accumulation in rice was presented in the research magazine Attempto! of the University of Tuebingen. February 2020
 First extremely successful Bachelor thesis titled "Effect of cadmium on (a)biotic greenhouse gas emissions in agricultural soils" on the GreenCad project finished. Wishing the student all the best and thank you for all your excitement and hard work on the project. Great supervision by the GreenCad PhD student. January 2020  Public Outreach: Evening presentation at the Leibniz Kolleg in Tuebingen Great discussion with very interested students. Thank you for an intriguing evening. January 2020
 Trip to SSRL to measure the binding environment of cadmium in soil and mineral samples. First trip to a synchrotron for the GreenCad PhD student working on the impact of Cd on greenhouse gas emissions under different climates. We had a blast and good data.
November 2019
 Stanford press release for "Rice production threatened by coupled stresses of climate and soil arsenic"
Image and video by Kurt Hickman. October 2019
 Our manuscript "Rice production threatened by coupled stresses of climate and soil arsenic" is accepted in Nature Communications
by E. Muehe, Tianmei Wang, Carolin Kerl, Britta Planer-Friedrich, and Scott Fendorf. August 2019
August 2019
May 2019
 Meeting of the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung scholars in Stuttgart, Germany, with a session on career perspectives within the German research landscape.
April 2019
 Great news on the private front: Our son was born!
April 2019
the scientific practice 1 student working on Microbial abundance dynamics in rhizospheres of rice exposed to combined climate and arsenic stress started as well.
 Second Leadership Academy of the German Scholars Organisation, this time in Darmstadt, Germany.
January 2019
Invited Panel presentation: November 2018
 Acceptance to the Excellence Program of the Baden-Württemberg Foundation.
Within this program, I will hire and supervise a PhD student working on the project: Cadmium impacts on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
October 2018
Leadership Academy of the German Scholars Organisation in Boston.
September 2018
 Public outreach into a high school.
Talking to grade 10, 11 and 12 students about the future of rice in the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn high school in Salzwedel.
August 2018
Presenting: July 2018
Proposal 5111: Identifying key differences in arsenic dynamics in the rhizosphere of rice that translate to major losses in grain yield and quality. June 2018
 Visit back to Stanford to start up a new greenhouse gas emission experiment from Californian paddy soil together with Alandra.
May 2018
General audience presentations in Germany
Do you like to eat rice? - The future of the most important food in the world.
Great, motivating discussions at the Jenny Marx Forum in Salzwedel (funded by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation) and the Rotary Club in Braunschweig.
May 2018
Move to the University of Tübingen for the Marie Curie Return Phase
Emotional roller-coaster: Very excited to be part of the Kappler Lab again and at the same time super sad to leave the Fendorf lab, where I had an amazing time - thank you all so much!
Now it is time to write everything up! March 2018 
Obtained the Postdoc Teaching Certificate at Stanford
March 2018 
RELP - Rising Environmental Leaders Program
I was honored to be part of this amazing Program facilitating contacts to policy makers and their education chain. The highlight of this program was a 1-week bootcamp in Washington D.C. Image credit: Nathan Mitchell Photography
End of greenhouse gas emissions experiment with Alandra - we are rocking it in the lab
November-December 2017 
Rhizotron experiment ran successfully in the lab.
Exciting to do the elemental imaging of As and Fe in the rhizosphere of rice at SSRL in collaboration with Sam Webb and Nick Edwards. October 2017 
Presenting: October 2017 
Start of greenhouse gas emissions from rice paddies experiment with Alandra.
This is a revised experimental set-up and tackles the question how elevated soil arsenic affects greenhouse gas emissions from rice paddies exposed to different climates. September 2017 
Teaching grad student Tianmei to take over the greenhouse in a few months.
September 2017 
Trip to Germany with many fruitful meetings in Bayreuth and Tübingen.
August 2017 
Presenting: August 2017 
Participation in MBL summer workshop:
Strategies and Techniques for Analyzing Microbial Population Structure (STAMPS) in Woods Hole. July 2017 
Harvesting of Californian rice experiment.
June 2017 
First Californian rice rhizotron experiment started:
How do rhizosphere biogeochemical processes change with climate change and elevated soil arsenic? June-August 2017
Three great students will work on the rice project this summer.
May 2017 
Greenhouse gas emission from rice paddy experiment started with Alandra:
How do greenhouse gas emissions from paddy soils change when exposed to climate change and elevated soil arsenic? March 2017 
Californian rice experiment started:
How do rice productivity and quality change when rice is exposed to climate change and elevated soil arsenic? February 2017 
Getting the greenhouse ready for another round of experiments.
|
