ABOUT ME
An uncatchable fish triggered my excitement for understanding the intricacies of freshwater ecosystems. I was a child back then, but this childlike curiosity I still carry with me today. It keeps me doing the things I love.
My passion for streams and lakes and my interest for aquatic organisms lead me to pursue a post-graduate career in river management and restoration. I gained much expertise working with private companies, the public sector and non-governmental organizations. Currently, I am a researcher at the Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, BOKU University, next to which I offer ecological consulting and science writing support.
A fish that keeps swimming
Research fields
My research focuses on three main topics. The first two are related to the field of ecohydrology and deal with the ecological effects of short term and annual flow modifications – (1) hydropeaking and (2) environmental flow – whereby I am seeking creative ways to mitigate these adverse impacts. The third topic is related to (3) river management more generally; themes range from biotic indicators to fisheries. For details, see my publications.
In my spare time, I enjoy angling, in particular, fly-fishing. And every now and then I end up writing a story for a fishing magazine.
Funding
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Horizon 2020 - The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation
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Austrian Science Fund (FWF), Austria
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World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Switzerland
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via donau – Österreichische Wasserstraßen-Gesellschaft mbH, Austria
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Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), Germany
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Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Portugal
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Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Regionen und Wasserwirtschaft, Austria
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Bundesamt für Umwelt BAFU, Schwitzerland
Qualifications
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River management and restoration (PhD), Portugal and Austria
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Applied Limnology (MSc), Austria
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Landscape planning (BSc), Austria
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Electrofishing fish stock assessment
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Rhetorics and presentation techniques
Community engagement
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Chair of the Early Careers on Ecohydraulics Network (ECoENet)
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Board member of the Hydropeaking Research Network (HyPeak)
What I offer you
Consultancy services in my area of expertise, including, among other topics, river ecology and management, sustainable hydropower, environmental flow, hydropeaking, river restoration, fish ecology, and ecohydraulics.
I am passionate about creative storytelling as I believe that effective communication of research findings to peers and the public is an art in itself – a service I happily offer to my clients.