Alumni

Xiaoyi Wang

PhD Exchange Student

I mainly focus on the impacts of global change factors (such as warming, nitrogen deposition and altered precipitation) on plant functional traits and plant reproductive phenology in high-altitude and high-latitude regions. In particular, I am interested in how intraspecific trait variability contributes to the shifts in functional diversity and changes in ecosystem functions. There are always a lot of wonderful flowers and beautiful scenery in the Tibetan alpine meadow and Artic tundra. I’m really excited to get close to those wonderful plants, as well as some cute wild animals. When I’m not working, you can often find me hiking, enjoying food and watching Chinese costume dramas.

Malin Landgren

Masters student

Right now I’m doing my master’s degree in conservational biology and I will do my thesis project with the EDGE group. For my project, I will look at the temperature sensitivity of a plant’s phenology to see how it influences how well the plant copes with climate change. I will observe flowering time and leaf green-up in Greenland and match temperature sensitivity estimations with species abundance data to see if species with greater sensitivity do better with climate warming. Even though I’m doing my masters in biology my heart is truly in ecology and especially with plants. I’ve always had an interest and fascination for the Arctic and alpine environments, mainly because of the beautiful and untouched nature but also for how organisms, especially plants, have been able to adapt to such harsh living conditions. Except for my interest in arctic environments, I’m also keen on Swedish grassland flora and management. In my spare time, you often find me in the stable with my horse or on a hike in the forest.

Manon Langonné

Guest Masters student

Being deeply sensitive to global warming and ecology, I decided to make it my calling. I fell in love with the Arctic some time ago and became even more captivated by it after spending five months in Iceland. There, I worked on invertebrate biodiversity in the Icelandic tundra. Throughout my academic journey, I have specialized in biology, ecology, climate science, data analysis, and software tools to carve out a path in the vast polar research field. My engineering education has further fueled my curiosity about environmental sciences, leading me to pursue a simultaneous master’s degree to strengthen my expertise in this area.

My research focuses on how microclimates does impact local biodiversity in Svalbard, Greenland, and Sweden. Supervised by Anne and working on a topic partially related to Kai’s, my goal with this final placement is to deepen my understanding of the complex climate dynamics in the Arctic region.

If you’re looking for my desk, just follow the trail of polar bear miniatures and white cat fur. I’ll be nearby

Nicklas Albertsson

Masters Student and research assistant

Spending the 2023 summer season in Svalbard and Greenland working as a research assistant and gathering data for my own project. My project will focus on whether plant community composition change with recent climate change matches predictions based on responses to experimental warming and spatial variation in temperature. I have a few years of work experience since my bachelor’s in a national monitoring program (NILS-fältinventering) and as a nature guide in Hemavan. I spend a great deal of my free time rock climbing and it has also, somewhat accidentally, turned into a side career with some part-time work climbing around on the roof of concert arenas and hanging in ropes fixing stuff on the outside of buildings.

Helena Sundell

Masters student

I am doing my masters project with the group, looking at the effects of warming on plant functional traits at community-level in arctic environments. My interest in arctic environments was initiated during a field course in Abisko and Narvik a few years ago – seeing more or less live how our changing climate affects the organisms living here, especially plant communities. Other than studying biology I have spent a year with complementary pedagogical studies and received a degree for teaching Biology and general science at high school level in Sweden. Outside of the academic world I have a background as a riding school teacher and have spent most of my life in the stables, preferably together with my two Border Collies as well.

Jon Henn

Postdoc

My main interest is in understanding and predicting plant community responses to global changes like climate change, disturbance, and invasion. I try to answer questions using functional traits as a method to understand how plant responses to change might be mediated by their strategies and I hope that the results of my research improve our ability to manage and adapt to change in ways that promote diversity. I got to where I am because of a deep curiosity about how natural systems work. When I’m not doing science, you can find me knitting, baking, quilting, or exploring outside.