Research
The Earth system is complex, nonlinear, and full of surprises, and I find that deeply fascinating, yet also worrying. Right now, we are running an uncontrolled climate experiment on a system we do not fully understand, with feedback loops that can rewire themselves in ways that are abrupt, far-reaching, and difficult to reverse. My research sits at the intersection of climate tipping points, feedback mechanisms, and the uncertainties that emerge when different parts of the Earth system interact.
To study this, I work across the Climate Model Hierarchy: from comprehensive Earth System Models to stylised conceptual approaches, using a combination of mathematical, numerical, and data analysis methods. Wisely combining these levels of complexity is how I try to build a truthful picture of the risks we are actually facing, and understand a system that will keep surprising us.
Projects
The interaction between the Amazon rainforest and the AMOC
The Amazon rainforest and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) are identified as two potential climate tipping elements that may also interact. My PhD focuses on the AMOC→Amazon pathway: how AMOC weakening may alter the Amazon's internal moisture recycling feedback, changing how different parts of the basin are connected to each other.
TOAD: Tipping and Other Abrupt events Detector
During my MSc thesis at PIK, I contributed to developing TOAD, a modular and open-source pipeline for detecting abrupt transitions and tipping dynamics in complex Earth system datasets, designed to work across model intercomparison contexts like TIPMIP.
Evaluating crop model performance under climate extremes
An ongoing collaboration evaluating how well Global Gridded Crop Models reproduce crop responses under climate extremes, using ISIMIP and AgMIP intercomparison data. Started during my time as a student assistant researcher at PIK.