I am originally from Karlsruhe in the beautiful South of Germany, where I studied general Biology for my Bachelor's degree. There I found my fascination for plant-microbe interactions by working on plant symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi. From there I went out to Amsterdam for a Master's in plant science. More plant research and more plant-microbe interactions (pathogens this time)! During my thesis in Switzerland I got in touch with compost and soil science and it felt like that was the missing piece in the magic triad: Plants, microbes & soil!

Since 2020 I am working as a PhD student in the plant-soil ecology (PSECO) lab of the University of Amsterdam, led by prof. Franciska de Vries. My research centers around the effects of extreme summer drought on plant-soil interactions with a special focus on plant-soil feedback in grasslands. I am aiming to link drought-induced changes in vegetation patterns aboveground with belowground changes in plant-microbial interactions. I am studying these effects both in experimental grassland mesocosms outside and in controlled greenhouse experiments with alive soil. Hopefully, these results will contribute to estimate consequences of climate change for our ecosystems - both aboveground and belowground.