Meet our Researchers
Our researchers participate in international expeditions and nationally unique research projects. Meet some of them in stories and interviews.
Sophie Steinhagen is plumbing the depths of future foods
The cultivation of algae for food production is a major reason why Sophie Steinhagen settled on her field of research.
"Algae farming could be a major part of the solution to future food needs. We have food shortages in many countries and climate change has led to droughts that affect traditional food production on land," says Sophie Steinhagen.
Irina Polovodova Asteman uncovers the marvels in the seafloor
Marine geologist Irina Polovodova Asteman studies the tiny concealed in the seafloor. From long cores of mud, she uncovers the most astonishing organisms that can convey details about both the climate, as well as the environment.
“I never know what I'll uncover in the microscope before I start. The sediment is always a mystery, a voyage into the unknown,” says Irina Polovodova Asteman.
Kerstin Johannesson: Snails teach me about genetics and evolution
Kerstin Johannesson is a world-leading researcher in marine evolutionary biology. Her object of study is small periwinkles.
“My research teaches me how nature works, and I can apply my expertise much further. It doesn’t really matter that I’ve learned about genetics and evolution from snails. I can apply this information to any species.”
Measures carbon dioxide and ocean acidification on drifting ice floes
MOSAiC is the world’s biggest ever Arctic expedition. Researchers from around 20 countries are carrying out unique studies of the air, ice, and ocean. Participants from the Department of Marine Sciences are researchers Adam Ulfsbo and Katarina Abrahamsson.
"The effects of climate change are visible earlier in the Arctic and more clearly than anywhere else," says Katarina Abrahamsson.
Isaac Santos digs in the deep mud of the Amazon
Isaac Santos and his family moved to Gothenburg because of a ship. The University's new research vessel R/V Skagerak is a fairly unique initiative, even internationally.
Now, Isaac Santos and his new research team are going to set up a high-tech mini-laboratory in the Amazon.
Sebastiaan Swart wants to reveal secrets under the Southern Ocean ice
"One of the greatest difficulties with predicting climate is that we don’t know enough about what is going on in the ocean. For example, how it emits or absorbs heat from the atmosphere and how the exchange of CO2 between the ocean and the atmosphere occurs."
Charlotte Björdal studies archaeological wood in shipwrecks
Charlotte Björdal is a leading expert when it comes to erosion bacteria, and by studying wood samples from wrecks she can work out how quickly they decompose. Despite the fact that decomposition takes place more slowly in water, this is a complex environment to protect.
"For me, it’s a matter of conserving and preserving our cultural heritage for future generations," says Charlotte Björdal.
