Employees

Dr. Rea Pärli

Center Manager - WSL

Since my studies in environmental systems science, I have been fascinated by the topic of cooperation between research and practice as well as participatory methods and processes. In my doctorate, I researched the factors that promote or inhibit successful cooperation between research and practice and across disciplinary boundaries. In my position as Center Manager of the Biodiversity Synthesis Center, I coordinate and integrate a wide range of issues and act as the primary contact person for our practice partners.

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Dr. Karen Bussmann-Charran

Department of Aquatic Biodiversity - Eawag

I have always been fascinated by underwater life. During my studies at the University of Tübingen, I researched reproductive ecology in the Baltic Sea, as well as bioacoustics and behavioral biology in the North Atlantic in Norway. In my doctoral thesis at the University of Basel, I then devoted myself to invasion biology and conducted research on blackmouth gobies in Switzerland. The close collaboration with practitioners in this field inspired me to pursue applied questions in order to contribute to the conservation of nature and biodiversity with my scientific work. At the Biodiversity Synthesis Center, I can now make this wish come true.

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Dr. Sarah Richman

Department of Terrestrial Biodiversity - ETHZ

As an ecologist, I study the relationships between climate change, species distributions and species interactions, in particular the relationships between plants and pollinators. My interest in this area stems from my long-standing fascination with flying insects and the diversity of flowers. I am also fascinated by the role of pollination in biodiversity conservation and global food systems. My research addresses fundamental questions, such as the promotion of species interactions, as well as applied topics, including how pesticides or climate change affect pollinators. The opportunity to work at the Biodiversity Synthesis Center fills me with excitement as I can strengthen the link between science and policy.

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Alanis Camichel

Department of Policy & Management - ETHZ

The interactions in the human-environment system have fascinated me since my studies, as they form the foundation for understanding ecological and societal challenges. With my background in environmental sciences, especially in the analysis of environmental systems and policy, I am intensively engaged with these dynamic interrelationships. In particular, I am interested in participatory processes in all forms, and their potential to effectively address ecological and societal challenges. The Biodiversity Synthesis Center enables me to explore the interactions between the Swiss social system and biodiversity in more detail and to process this knowledge in order to make it usable in practice.

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Ladina Moana Steinegger

Communication & Cooperation - WSL

Studying environmental sciences has helped me to better understand ecological and social relationships and to categorize complex systems. It is particularly important to me that biodiversity is not viewed in isolation, but as what it is: a central component of our livelihood, closely linked to issues such as climate, nutrition, health and social justice. In the Biodiversity Synthesis Center, I work at the interface between communication, working groups and administration. I am responsible for individual communication projects, support the working groups with content-related tasks and deal with finances and reporting. I am particularly motivated by the question of how constructive dialogues can arise and how scientific findings can be presented in an understandable way and effectively incorporated into social processes.

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