Dr. Franz Conen
Research associate
Research associate
Bernoullistrasse 30/32
4056
Basel
Schweiz
Research Interests
Life changes chemical and physical properties of Earth since its emergence. Understanding involved processes and interactions to quantify or predict their effects, is what I, and many others, are interested in. My focus is on land-atmosphere interactions. Past work includes studies on soil organic matter, greenhouse gases, and radon as a tracer of atmospheric motions. More recently, I also became interested in the exchange of microorganisms between land and atmosphere. When lofted from leaf surfaces and transported by atmospheric motions, microorganisms can catalyse freezing of supercooled clouds and trigger precipitation events, re-depositing these organisms on new grounds. This kind of land-atmosphere interaction has implications on meteorology, but also on the distribution of ice-nucleating microorganisms, some of which are economically relevant plant pathogens.
Professional Positions
| Since Oct. 2003 | Research Fellow, Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, Switzerland. |
| Mar. 2000 - Sept. 2003 | Research Fellow (Darwin Fellowship), School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, UK. |
| Oct. 1996 - Feb. 2000 | Research Associate, University of Edinburgh, Division of Biological Sciences, Institute of Ecology and Resource Management, UK |
| Mar. 1995 - Sept. 1996 | United Nations Volunteer Specialist, UNDP; Kazalinsk, Kazakstan. |
| Nov. 1992 - Sept. 1993 | Consultant, DG Agroprogress International, Bonn, Germany; Brest, Belorussia. |
Education
2000, PhD in Biogeochemistry, University of Edinburgh, UK.
1994, MSc in Resource Management, University of Edinburgh, UK.
1992, Diploma in Agriculture, Gesamthochschule Kassel, Germany.
Editorial Work
Editorial Advisory Board, Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment
Memberships
British Society of Soil Science