Sina Schorn is looking forward to new research expeditions
Sina Schorn is a new postdoc at the Department of Marine Sciences. She will devote the next two years to microbial transformations of nitrogen and carbon compounds in seas and lakes. In her free time, she enjoys visiting the animals in the Slottskogen Park.
What are you going to do here?
"In the next two years, I will study microbial transformations of nitrogen and carbon compounds in marine and freshwater environments. I will primarily investigate the activity of aerobic bacteria living in anoxic waters, a phenomenon which is often observed but not well understood. The main method I am using is stable isotope incubations, meaning that I use isotopically-labelled carbon and nitrogen compounds to resolve microbial process rates by mass spectrometry."
What did you do before?
"My background is mainly in biogeochemistry and microbial ecology related to aquatic greenhouse gas emissions, especially of methane. Before coming to Gothenburg, I did my PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, studying the microbial processes behind methane emissions."
"My research has always revolved around methane and the microbial processes associated with its production and consumption. In the past, my work always had a strong field-going aspect, doing field work for example in Swiss lakes, marine seagrass beds, as well as coastal upwelling areas off Namibia and Peru."
What do you do in your free time?
"One of my favorite things to do is actually visiting the animals in the Slottskogen Park in the center of Gothenburg. My time in Gothenburg has been really great so far. The city is incredibly beautiful and offers many opportunities to enjoy the sea and the surrounding nature."
Something else you would like to share?
"I am very excited about the two years ahead of me as I will have the opportunity to join research expeditions and field excursions to different parts of the world, and to sample many interesting environments. And I am especially looking forward to getting to know all of my new colleagues at the Marine Science department!"
Interview: Susanne Liljenström