Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL
Function
Senior Scientist, Head Office of the Director
Stab
Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
Zürcherstrasse 111
8903 Birmensdorf
Site
WSL Birmensdorf Bi HV G 10
I am the Head of the Director's Office and a Senior Scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). I advise and support the Directorate and work closely with the heads of the research units on overarching institutional and strategic matters. I also lead WSL's environmental data portal EnviDat (www.envidat.ch).
CAS Leadership in Science, FHNW Windisch, 2024
Dr. phil. nat., University of Bern, 2001
Dipl. Geograph, University of Basel, 1996
My scientific expertise focuses on the carbon cycle and its links to climate and climate change. I am interested in the contemporary and future carbon cycle from regional to global scales, with a particular focus on the role of the ocean component of the Earth System, its role in nutrient and carbon cycling, and ultimately climate. My research utilised a range of numerical physical-biogeochemical models, encompassing an Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity applied to global scales and multi-century to millennial time scales, and a high-resolution eddy-permitting physical-biogeochemical ocean model applied to Eastern Boundary upwelling systems.
I have been heavily involved in the assessment process of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC in leading roles in the Fifth Assessment Report (2008-2015) and the Sixth Assessment Report (2015-2023).
| Since 02/2023 | Member Advisory Group «Klima CH2025», MeteoSwiss/ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. |
| Since 11/2022 | Member Editorial Board «Brennpunkt Klima Schweiz», SCNAT/ProClim, Bern, Switzerland. |
| Since 03/2021 | Member Steering Committee, Open Research Data in the ETH Domain, ETH Domain Program, Switzerland. |
| Since 02/2021 | Member Steering Committee, Center for Climate Systems Modelling C2SM, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. |
| Since 06/2018 | Deputy Diversity Officer, WSL Birmensdorf ZH, Switzerland. |
| Since 01/2017 | Member Risk Commission, WSL Birmensdorf ZH, Switzerland. |
| Since 01/2016 | Member Executive Committee, National Center for Climate Services NCCS, Switzerland. |
» Complete publication list
I am currently involved in teaching the following courses at ETH Zurich, the University of Basel and the University of Bern:
Introduction to Physical Oceanography, 701-0478-00L, Bachelor level course, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Department of Environmental Systems Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
Klimasysteme, 701-0412-00L, Bachelor level course, Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, Department of Environmental Systems Sciences, ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
Measurements and policy interactions in climate change and air pollution, 22696-01, Master level course, Geosciences, University of Basel, Switzerland.
Global Climate Change: An overview with case studies, 56743-01, Bachelor level course, Geosciences, University of Basel, Switzerland
Graduate Seminar Climate Sciences, 3474-HS2024-0, Master level course, Graduate School of Climate Sciences, University of Bern, Switzerland.
born 23. November 1970 in Basel, Switzerland.
| 2024 | CAS, Leadership in Science, FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts: Windisch |
| 2001 | Ph.D., Natural Sciences, (Dr. phil. nat.), Division for Climate and Environmental Physics, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland |
| 1996 | Diploma, Geography, Meteorology, Climatology and Remote Sensing Lab, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland |
| 1989 | Matura, Gymnasium Bäumlihof Basel (High-school), Basel, Switzerland |
| Since 2023 | Head, Office of the Director, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) |
| Since 2020 | Associate Lecturer, Atmospheric Sciences, University of Basel, Switzerland. |
| Since 2017 | Head, Program EnviDat (Environmental Data Portal, www.envidat.ch,) Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) |
| Since 2016 | Senior Scientist, Office of the Director, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) |
| Since 2009 | Affiliated Scientist and Lecturer, Environmental Physics Group, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Department of Environmental Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland |
| 2018- 2023 | Lead Author, IPCC Working Group I, 6th Assessment Report |
| 2014-2015 | Head, IPCC Working Group I Technical Support Unit (WGI TSU), University of Bern, Switzerland |
| 2009-2013 | Deputy Head, Director of Science, IPCC Working Group I Technical Support Unit (WGI TSU), University of Bern, Switzerland |
| 2009-2015 | Affiliated Scientist, Division for Climate and Environmental Physics, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland |
| 2007-2009 | Research Scientist, Environmental Physics, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Department of Environmental Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland |
| 2005-2007 | Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Division for Climate and Environmental Physics, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland |
| 2004-2005 | Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Biogeochemistry Group, IGPP, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA |
| 2002-2004 | Postdoctoral Fellow, NOAA Program in Climate and Global Change (NOAA Yearbook) |
| 2002-2004 | Visiting Research Scientist, Biogeochemistry Group, IGPP, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA |
| 2001-2002 | Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Division for Climate and Environmental Physics, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland |
| 1997-2001 | Research Assistant, Division for Climate and Environmental Physics, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland |
| 1996-1997 | Research Scientist, Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, Davos, Switzerland |
| 1996 | Internship at the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, Weissfluhjoch Davos, Davos, Switzerland |
| 1994-1996 | Research Assistant, Meteorology, Climatology and Remote Sensing Lab, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland |
| 2024 | Leadership training for group leaders, WSL, Kappel am Albis ZH, Switzerland |
| 2018 | Faculty development course for senior ETH scientific staff "Foundations of Teaching and Learning", FTL-2018-04, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. |
| 2018 | Course "Schwierige Gesprächssituationen meistern – Kommunikationsrepertoire erweitern", WSL, Birmensdorf ZH, Switzerland. |
| 2017 | Course "Gute Führung - Good Leadership", WSL, Birmensdorf ZH, Switzerland |
| 2015 | Course "Alles im Griff mit Projektmanagement", Business Tools, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland |
| 2015 | Course "Teams stark machen!", Business Tools, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland |
| 2004 | 6th Summer Institute for the NOAA Postdoctoral Program in Climate and Global Change, Steamboat Springs, CO, USA |
| 1999 | Swiss Climate Summer School, Hasliberg: 'The Dynamics of the Earth System: Processes and Records of Past Climate Change' |
| 1998 | Winter School, Centre de Physique des Houches, France: 'Mathematical and Physical Tools for Climate Dynamics' |
| 2002- 2004 | Postdoctoral Fellowship from the NOAA Program in Climate and Global Change (NOAA Yearbook) |
| 2002 | Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation (declined) |
Postdoctoral Advisors: Nicolas Gruber (UCLA), Fortunat Joos and Thomas F. Stocker (University of Bern)
Ph.D. Thesis Advisors: Fortunat Joos and Thomas F. Stocker (University of Bern)
Diploma Thesis Advisors: Dieter Scherer and Eberhard Parlow (University of Basel)
