Final Appraisal Seminar for Tenure Track Assistant Professor Nicole Posth
Title
Microorganisms in Earth Evolution: biogeochemical cycles and environmental change
Abstract
Biological processes are tied to the physical world through biogeochemical cycles. Microorganisms are key players in these cycles and in this way influence the evolution of life on Earth and the response of life to environmental change.
Marine pollution is a major environmental concern, and plastic has emerged as a main contaminant. Along coasts, in lakes, rivers, and groundwater, plastic is transported, degraded, buried in the sediment, and incorporated across trophic levels. The global extent of plastic pollution, the broad size range of the particles (from macro to nanoscale), and the unknown impact of this pollutant presents an analytical challenge that has stimulated research. My research agenda has been to improve understanding of plastic interaction with microbes and minerals within biogeochemical cycles. Based in the geosciences, my work takes on a temporal component to understand this anthropogenic pressure in the evolutionary geobiology context.
In this talk, I will introduce my research agenda and present my work on it during the past four years as a tenure-track assistant professor. I will also present my plans on advancing this agenda in the future, both in research and teaching at IGN.
Wish to attend?
The seminar will be hosted online and open to anyone interested via this link
Assessment committee
- Head of Department, Professor Claus Beier, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Vice-Head of Department of Teaching, Professor Tod Waight, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Professor Kirsten Küsel, Jena University, Germany
- Professor Liane Benning, GFZ Potsdam, Germany