Fatemeh Ajallooeian

Current research:

During the course of my PhD studies, I will focus on the analysis of organic lipid biomarkers in lake water column. Our approach is to investigate brGDGTs which are membrane spanning lipids that over the last two decades have become an important research focus for organic geochemists because of their application in temperature and pH proxies. We will employ different experiments to analyze the production, lifespan and sink of these lipid biomarkers via the use of Mesocosms/Microcosms otherwise known as experimental water enclosures. This approach enables us to study these lipids in detail and implement different techniques to manipulate different water components that affect the growth of the brGDGT producing bacteria e.g. oxygen, pH and etc. I am a member of the PRIMA project MiCoDy-Lipids, conducting my doctoral research under Dr. Cindy De Jonge’s Supervision at the Biogeochemistry group led by Prof.Dr. Timothy Eglinton at ETHZ.

My background:

I hold a B.Sc. in Geomorphology from Shahid Beheshti University of Iran, I finished my studies at University of Helsinki with a M.Sc. degree in Atmospheric Science with a focus on paleoclimate. I conducted my M.Sc. thesis at Eawag institute in Switzerland about investigating lacustrine sediment cores from Lake Lävijarvi in Karelian Russia for pollen and geochemical indicators to reconstruct the paleoclimate of the mentioned site for the late Holocene period. Having learned a lot of skills and gaining an excellent experience during the course of my M.Sc. research, I was eager to continue my geological research with a focus on paleoclimate and biogeochemistry of lakes. Therefore I decided to do my PhD at the Biogeochemistry group of ETH Zurich to further expand my skills and knowledge in these fields.