Current Areas of Research
I joined the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS, Nanyang Technological University) in Fall 2009. My research activities at EOS focus on:

* volcano monitoring (gases) in South-East Asia;
* feasibility assessment of satellite-borne monitoring of volcanic CO2 emissions;
* autonomous multi-sensor environmental monitoring networks with mesh telemetry;
* economic multisensor monitoring package design and network integration;
* chemical sensor technology and organic mass spectrometry; chemical marker analysis;
* interdisciplinary environmental databases, and integrated natural hazard assessment;
* anomalous aquatic CO2 emission budgets.

An analytical geochemist by training, I currently work on applied geochemical monitoring techniques for active volcanic emissions, using in-situ sampling as well as ground-based and satellite-borne real-time sensing techniques. I maintain active research collaborations with domestic and international research groups in government, academia, industry and supranational agencies. I complement my work with an involvement in outreach activities, volunteer work for a non-profit charitable organisation, and mentoring of underrepresented students.



Biographical Overview
University Training

I studied Geology / Earth Sciences at the Freie Universität Berlin (Germany) at an undergraduate and graduate level, from 1991-1997. During that period I won a competitive scholarship to study as a Graduate Visiting Scholar at the University of Washington from 1995-1996, where I performed research on trace element partitioning under the supervision of M.S. Ghiorso and B.K. Nelson. After my return to Berlin, I graduated with a Diplom degree in 1997 (accredited M.Sc. equivalent) under the supervision of V. Jacobshagen and V.J. Dietrich (ETH Zürich).

Subsequently I joined the Geochemistry Group of Terry Seward at ETH Zürich / IMP (Switzerland), for my doctoral work on halocarbon emissions from volcanoes, together with Volker Dietrich. This included set-up and operation of a new analytical laboratory, and challenging field work on live emissions by volcanoes. We expanded the normally 10 to 15 quantitatively measured gas species to well over 100 by including organic compounds. Part of this work was performed at Hall Analytical Ltd., an environmental organic mass spectrometry instrument development and analytical company in Manchester (UK). I graduated with a Dr. sci. nat. degree (Ph.D.) from ETH Zürich in Geochemistry in 2002.

Professional Experience

Starting in 2002, I held joint postdoctoral appointments at ETH Zürich between the European Union's GEOWARN project, the ETH Institute of Cartography (Natural Hazards group) and the Geochemistry group of Terry Seward.
This was followed by a Postdoctoral Research Associate appointment in the research group of Everett Shock and the Keck Environmental Biogeochemistry Laboratory at the Department of Geological Sciences (now SESE) at Arizona State University from 2004-2006, where I worked on trace gas ground emission mapping and built a new analytical mass spectrometry laboratory.

Joining the Atmospheric Chemistry Group of J.L. Collett at Colorado State University in early 2006, I changed course away from volcano research and toward quantifying emissions, transport, gas-aerosol transformation, and deposition of atmospheric nitrogen species, as well as long-term multiparametric environmental monitoring strategies and methods, gaining technical experience in networked, autonomous and telemetered sensing and sampling systems, in collaboration with Air Resource Specialists Inc., The U.S. National Park Service, and Shell Exploration and Production Company.

I am currently a Senior Research Fellow with the Volcanology Group of Chris Newhall at the new Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS, Nanyang Technological University) since Fall 2009.

My personal interests include travel, cooking, horsemanship, and cultural history.



Academic History

2009 - present	Senior Research Fellow, Volcanology, Gas Geochemistry Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Supervisor: Christopher G. Newhall
2006 - 2009	Research Scientist II, Atmospheric Chemistry Dept. Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, USA Supervisor: J.L. Collett
2004 - 2006	Postdoctoral Research Associate, Geochemistry / Volcanology Dept. Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, USA Supervisor: E.L. Shock
2002 - 2004	Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Geochemistry / Volcanology Institute of Cartography, Institute of Mineralogy and Petrography, ETH-Zürich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Switzerland Supervisor: L. Hurni / T.M. Seward / V. Dietrich
1997-2002	Dr. sci. nat degree (Graduate degree, Ph.D.) Geochemistry "The organic chemistry of volcanic gases at Vulcano (Eolian Islands, Italy)" ETH-Zürich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Switzerland Supervisors: T.M. Seward / V. Dietrich / A. Gize
1993-1997	Diplom degree (Graduate degree, M.Sc. equiv) Geologie (Geology) "The Geology of Poros Island, Greece" Freie Universität Berlin, Germany Supervisors: V. Jacobshagen / V. Dietrich
1995-1996	Visiting Graduate Scholar, Volcanology / Geochemistry Dept. Earth Sciences, University of Washington (WA), USA Supervisors: M. Ghiorso / B. Nelson
1991-1993	Vordiplom degree (Undergraduate degree) Geologie Paläontologie (Geology / Paleontology) Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

Awards & Stipends

2002	Medal of the Institute of Mineralogy & Petrology ETH-Zürich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Switzerland
1998-2001	Graduate stipend 1998-2001 Schweizerischer National Fonds (SNF), Switzerland
1997	Diplom "mit Auszeichnung" (M.Sc. "with distinction") Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
1995-1996	Visiting Graduate Scholarship University of Washington, USA

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