Research

• Biomineralization in microalgae
• Formation and control of calcium carbonate and purine crystals, as well as silicate and cellulose
• Characterization of metastable phases and their transformations (e.g., amorphous calcium carbonate = ACC)
• Influence of biological and chemical environmental factors on mineral formation
• Structural characterization of biominerals at the micro- and nanoscale
• X-ray diffractometry (PXRD and Rietveld)
• Spectroscopy and imaging (Raman/IR/ssNMR)
• Cryo-electron microscopy

Professional experience

• Since 2021: Junior Professor of Biomineralization / Crystallography, Institute of Geosciences, JGU Mainz
• 2018–2021: Junior Group Leader, Bioanalytical Chemistry, TU Dresden
• 2016–2017: Postdoctoral researcher, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
• 2015: Scientist/Postdoc, Bioanalytical Chemistry, TU Dresden
• 2010–2014: Doctorate in chemistry, Bioanalytical Chemistry, TU Dresden
• 2005–2010: BSc and MSc in chemistry, TU Dresden

Ongoing projects

• Core4U large-scale equipment grant: Grant for a powder XRD (XRDynamic 500 by Anton Paar) (since 2026)
• Mainz Science Foundation: The unusual genome of dinoflagellates: sequencing of the calcifying microalga L. granifera (since 2024)

Completed Projects

• Earth CriSys: Raman spectroscopic analysis of biomass in speleothems: A spectral fingerprint of past changes in vegetation? (2024-2025)
• DFG DinoMat: Understanding biocrystallization in dinoflagellates: from biological pathways to functionalized hybrid materials (2020–2025)
• SAB DinoLight: Recruiting unicellular algae for the mass production of nanostructured perovskites (2020–2022)

SoSe 2026

— Currently on maternity leave! —

Winter semester: Compulsory elective module: Mineralogy

• Mineralogy lecture
• Minerals and Crystals practice class

Institute Seminar

Summer semester: Compulsory elective module: biomineralization

• Biomineralization lecture
• Seminar: Analytics of the Inorganic/Organic Interface
• Laboratory practice class