About

Me standing in front of a party frozen lake, with a volcano in the background.

At Lake Akan in northern Japan, known for its volcanic activity and indigenous Ainu culture

Hi, I'm Ramesh (he/him)!

Growing up near the Alps in southern Germany, geography quickly became my favorite school subject. When I had the chance, I decided to continue studying it at university. The way geography enables one to perceive environments through their place in space and time fascinated me ever since.

Besides my research I am currently training as a voluntary firefighter. I enjoy hiking and bicycle trips, especially while exploring new places. Also, quite fond of good reads and videogames!

Feel free to contact me in English or German - or in Japanese (if you don't expect a very deep response, that is)!

Education

Dr. rer. nat. in Geoecology, University of Potsdam, Germany (2020–2024), including an additional one-year research stay at Hokkaido University, Japan (2023–2024)
M.Sc. in Climate and Environmental Changes, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany (2017–2020), including an extracurricular exchange semester at Doshisha University, Japan (2019)
B.Sc. in Geography, University of Augsburg, Germany (2012–2016)

Professional experience

Postdoctoral Researcher (current position) at Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, Germany (2024–today), working with Prof. Dr. Ulrike Herzschuh and Dr. Stefan Kruse
JSPS Predoctoral Fellow at Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan (2023–2024), hosted by Prof. Dr. Shiro Tsuyuzaki and Prof. Dr. Youhei Yamashita
Doctoral Researcher at Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, Germany (2020–2024), supervised by Prof. Dr. Ulrike Herzschuh, Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Dietze, and Dr. Stefan Kruse

Scientific roles

Peer Reviewer for 10 journals (Biogeosciences, Catena, Clim. Change, Clim. Past, Fire, Holocene, PLOS ONE, Quat. Sci. Rev., Sci. Rep., Sci. Total Environ.)

Research methods

Using lake sediments as a natural archive, including wildfire proxies such as
- Macroscopic and microscopic charcoal particles
- Benzene polycarboxylic acids (BPCAs)
Ecological modeling using an individual-based forest model
Evaluation of historical accounts (e.g., expedition reports)
Complementary data analysis including sedimentological parameters, palynological records, sedimentary ancient DNA, XRF-derived element distributions, or the use of geospatial and remote sensing data

Besides these main methods, I gathered initial experience in a diverse set of related methods such as lipid biomarkers for fire reconstruction (levoglucosan), scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX measurements of charcoal particles), dendrochronology (fieldwork, preparation, analysis), or sclerochronology (stable oxygen isotope composition in bivalves). My interdisciplinary study programs further allowed me to obtain insights into resource strategy, ethnology, and disaster studies.

I am always interested in implementing new methods or exploring creative approaches!

Research locations

Boreal zone / high latitudes (e.g., Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in eastern Siberia)
Previous experience: Austrian Alps (lake sediment coring), German Alps (dendrochronology project), Greece (geoarchaeological fieldwork), Finland and Estonia (excursion), various other regions of Germany (fieldwork and excursions)

Memberships

European Geosciences Union (EGU)
Japan Geoscience Union (JpGU)
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Past Global Changes (PAGES)
International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF)
German Society for Geomorphology (DGGM)
Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN)
German JSPS Alumni Association (JSPS Club)

For more on my past and current scientific roles, teaching, supervision, and fieldwork experience, please refer to my CV (to be uploaded here soon).

Feel free to contact me any time in case you are considering collaboration!

Last website update: 12/2024