Below you can find out more about my interests and my occupational history including the major subject areas of my profession.
• Geography: I majored in geography (diploma) and then obtained my doctorate in geography and classical archaeology (Ph.D.), having a special focus on palaeoenvironmental changes and their sociocultural implications. Besides sedimentological, mineralogical and geological investigations, I carried out topographical mapping and surveying (DGPS, total station, terrestrial laser scanning) as well as geophysical prospecting (e.g. electrical resistivity tomography, refraction seismics). During several field campaigns I was involved in archaeological excavations and on-site studies under the aegis of the Greek Archaeological Society in Athens and the Institute of Classical Archaeology of the Heidelberg University, which is why the discipline of geoarchaeology best discribes my expertise.
• Geoinformatics: Geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS), e.g. the use of satellite imagery, aerial photographs and digital elevation models, constitute an integral part of both my work and my research interests. Since computerised techniques can significantly improve the understanding of spatial and natural processes, I implement IT-based analyses in all my studies. Among others, data fusion (a combination of raster and vector data as well as GIS and RS) plays a major role in this context. As the founder and long-time head of the working group on terrestrial laserscanning at the Chair of Physical Geography (Heidelberg University), I also focused on capturing and processing high-resolution 3D data sets, for instance in archaeological and geomorphological topics.
• Ecology: In 2001, I started studying biology and environmental sciences as minor subjects with a focus on ecological topics, such as biogeography, plant and aquatic ecology. Thanks to my longtime appointment at the Laboratory for Geomorphology and Geoecology (Institute of Geography, Heidelberg University), I gained experience in hydrological and pedological sampling along with chemical treatment and analysis of soils and water. During my freelance work in the NGO-based “Projeto dos Faxinais” (Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Brazil), I primarily dealt with soil and vegetation mapping.
• Planning and law: Having a degree in public law (minor subject), I also concentrate on current trends at the interface between environmental legislation, policy and management. As a geographer, my special research interests lie in the cross-linkage of different environmental media and the parallel correlation between respective legal norms (soil conservation, water protection, etc.) – an aspect, which I also try to emphasize in my teaching activities.
TerraScientia 