Nature has been a source of joy, energy, ideas and health for me during my entire life. It has been my way of coming into contact with God. I love being outside in nature and getting inspired by its forms, colors, smells and sounds, and the hidden harmony and beauty.
Water has always had a special fascination for me. It has been the “red thread” during my professional life. In 1995, I graduated in Water Management Engineering (Dipl.-Ing. Wasserwirtschaft) at TU Dresden with a diploma thesis about the hydraulic permeability of peat soils. Afterwards I worked as consultant and hydrologist in the south-eastern part of Germany. In 2006 I moved to Norway and started to investigate the interactions between water flow, vegetation and sediment processes in Øyeren’s delta for my doctoral study at NTNU Trondheim, which I completed in 2011. Since then I have been working as scientist in projects related to rivers and wetlands at the university and in a research institution. My CV and a list of publications is here.
I have many other interests, such as cultural history, philosophy, as well as medical plants and alternative medicine. I like to travel and to host guests. I am used to pick up my herbs for salads and tea mixtures in nature and I have a certificate as massage therapist.
During the last few years I have been searching for ideas to combine my professional experience with all my other interests and to make a visible difference, for example for conservation and restoration of rivers and wetlands. I see that the daily growing amount of knowledge and data from science is too slowly implemented in practice. I believe that we need to find better ways of communication across disciplines and social groups that include personal and spiritual aspects.