PhD projects
On-going projects
Deep soil carbon in a warming world: Pools, inputs and turnover
PhD candidate: Cyrill Zosso
UZH supervisor: Michael Schmidt
For more information click here
Aging and transfer from source to sink: The pathways of pyrogenic carbon in the soil environment of a tropical ecosystem
PhD candidate: Severin Bellè
UZH supervisor: Samuel Abiven
For more information click here
Dynamics of fire derived carbon from source to sink in an arctic system: Transport and mobility of pyrogenic carbon in soils
PhD candidate: Marcus Schiedung
UZH supervisor: Samuel Abiven
For more information click here
Soil organic carbon sources in a warmer world: Using molecular marker as proxies for microbial, above- and belowground plant biomass
PhD candidate: Nicholas Ofiti
UZH supervisor: Michael Schmidt
For more information click here
Biogeochemcial validation of remotely sensed plant traits
PhD candidate: Fanny Petibon
UZH supervisor: Michael Schmidt
For more information click here
Improved source apportionment of soil and sediment organic matter using inverse modelling (VERHIB 2.0)
PhD candidate: Carrie L. Thomas
UZH supervisor: Guido Wiesenberg
For more information click here
Tracing sources and degradation of organic matter at a molecular level in soils of an afforestation sequence in Jaun (Switzerland)
PhD candidate: Tatjana C. Speckert
UZH supervisor: Guido Wiesenberg
For more information click here
Affiliated PhD projects
Phosphorus availability and its interaction with plant belowground carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus input to soil
PhD candidate: Pierre Stevenel
UZH supervisor: Samuel Abiven
For more information click here
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Completed PhD projects
All PhD theses are available online via the Hochschulschriftenkatalog of the Zentralbibliothek Zurich.
Title |
Name |
Date |
Supervisors |
Organic carbon vulnerability in Swiss forest soils | Beatriz Gonzalez Dominguez | 2018 | Dr. S. Abiven |
Agricultural Management and Below Ground Carbon Inputs | Juliane Hirte | 2018 | Dr. S. Abiven |
Fire's Black Legacy: |
Moritz Reisser | 2018 | Dr. S. Abiven |
Breeding and drought influence root biomass and rooting depth |
Cordula Friedli | 2017 | Dr. S. Abiven |
Molecular and Isotopic Signatures of Combustion in the Modern Environment |
Ulrich Hanke | 2017 | Prof. Dr. M. W. I. Schmidt |
Effect of Drought on Carbon Cycling in Model Temperate Grassland and Heathland Plant-soil Systems | Kavita Srivastava | 2017 | PD Dr. G. L. B. Wiesenberg |
A Holistic Approach to Study Carbon Cycling |
Mirjam S. Studer |
2015 |
Dr. S. Abiven |
New Insights into Pyrogenic Carbon by an Improved Benzene Polycarboxylic Acid Molecular Marker Method |
Daniel Wiedemeier |
2014 |
Prof. Dr. M. W. I. Schmidt |
Nitrogen deposition and elevated CO₂ effects on geochemical biomarkers in soil fractions |
Marco Griepentrog |
2014 |
Prof. Dr. M. W. I. Schmidt |
The fate of pyrogenic organic matter in soil and its interaction with native soil organic matter and increased N inputs |
Bernardo Maestrini |
2014 |
Dr. S. Abiven |
Dynamics of Pyrogenic Organic Matter: Physical, Chemical and Biological Transformation and Stabilization Processes in the Soil |
Nimisha Nimisha |
2013 |
Dr. S. Abiven |
Turnover and stabilization of soil organic matter: effect of land-use change in alpine regions |
David Hiltbrunner (WSL Birmensdorf) |
2012 |
Dr. S. Zimmermann Dr. F. Hagedorn |
Turnover and stabilization of soil organic matter in Alpine grasslands |
Stefanie Meyer (ART Reckenholz) |
2012 |
Dr. J. Leifeld Prof. Dr. J. Fuhrer |
Does carbon distribution and turnover in (sub)alpine grassland soils indicate these areas may be potential carbon dioxide hotspots in the event of global warming? |
Karen Budge (ART Reckenholz) |
2011 |
Dr. J. Leifeld Prof. Dr. J. Fuhrer |
Carbon Fluxes from Decaying Beech Litter: Insights from a 13C-Tracer Experiment and a New Method to Analyse the Stable Isotopes in Soil CO2 Effluxes |
Adrian Kammer (WSL Birmensdorf) |
2011 |
Dr. F. Hagedorn Prof. Dr. A. Knohl |
Assessment of a Molecular Marker Method to Determine the Pyrogenic Carbon Component in Charcoals and Soils |
Maximilian Schneider |
2011 |
Prof. Dr. T. Dittmar Dr. R.H. Smittenberg Dr. S. Abiven |
Lignin dynamics in arable soils as determined by 13C natural abundance |
Anett Hofmann |
2009 |
Dr. A. Heim Dr. A. Miltner |
Detecting prehistoric fire-based farming using biogeochemical markers |
Eileen Eckmeier |
2007 |
Prof. Dr. R. Gerlach J. O. Skjemstad |
Analysis and fate of combustion residues in soil |
Karen Hammes |
2007 |
Dr. R. J. Smernik Prof. Dr. M. W. I. Schmidt |
Effects of pedogenic processes and vegetation on soil organic matter, Fe, Al, Si and clay mineralogy in the Southern Alps |
Remo Zanelli |
2007 |
PD Dr. M. Egli Prof. Dr. P. Fitze |
Spectroscopic quantification of soil organic carbon fractions that can be related to model pools |
Michael Zimmermann (ART Reckenholz) |
2007 |
Dr. J. Leifeld Prof. Dr. J. Fuhrer Dr. M. G. Johnson |