Academic training

1994 Ph-D, Physical Oceanography, Hamburg University, Germany

1989 Diploma, Physical Oceanography, Hamburg University, Germany

Professional experience

since 2004: Senior Scientist, MPI-M, Ocean in the Earth System Department, Research Group Leader

1999-2004: Scientist, MPI-M, Physical Climate System Department

1996-1999 Post Doc Scientist, Institute for Marine Sciences, Kiel, Ocean Physics Department,

1994-1996 Post Doc Scientist, Program in Atmosphere and Ocean Sciences, Princeton University, USA

1992-1995 PH D student, Institute for Marine Sciences, Hamburg University

1989-1992 Scientist, Federal Hydrographic Agency (BSH), Hamburg, Germany

Scientific interests

My research focuses on climate variability on various time scales. I am particularly interested in multi-decadal to centennial variability of the atmosphere-ocean system, near-term predictions, and variability in past climates.

Together with PhD students and post-doctoral researchers, I have been working on multi-decadal variability in the Atlantic and the connection between the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and the mode of variability that is coined Atlantic Multidecadal Variability. I am interested how ocean and atmosphere act together to create and maintain variability and to estimate the value of such trajectories for near-term climate predictions. In addition, I contribute to research on how the climate system reacts to external forcing, for example volcanic eruptions and how the climate of the past (the Holocene and the Common Era) has evolved under such forcing conditions.

During my tenure at MPI-M, I have played a key role in the development of the Earth System Models MPI-ESM and ICON-ESM and I have coordinated MPI-M’s contribution to the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). My group also contributed to several cycles of the Paleo Model Intercomparison Project (PMIP). As a member of the PMIP Scientific Steering Committee, I have coordinated the PMIP-wide simulations over the last millennium as part of CMIP6.

More recently, I have engaged in MPI-M’s effort on ultra-high resolution (km-scale), storm and eddy resolving coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations using ICON-Sapphire. Here the research focus is on ocean processes and ocean-atmosphere interactions in the Tropical Atlantic.

A list of peer-reviewed publication is attached below (please click on "Peer-reviewed Publications"). 

Google-Scholar entry: https://scholar.google.de/citations?hl=de&user=4aQNOPAAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate